Meaning of 男性
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the male sex
- a male
How to use 男性
男性 is a formal, neutral word used in forms, statistics, health information and news, often paired with 女性 (nǚxìng) female. It can also act like an adjective before a noun. Example: 这个工作男性和女性都可以申请。(Zhège gōngzuò nánxìng hé nǚxìng dōu kěyǐ shēnqǐng.) Both men and women can apply for this job.
男 (nán) shows a field 田 above strength 力, the person doing heavy work in the field. Add 性 (xìng), which means nature or sex, and 男性 is the male sex.
Common mistake: Learners often use 男性 in casual speech where 男人 (nánrén) or 男的 (nán de) sounds natural. Saying 那个男性是我爸爸 sounds stiff, like a police report. Also keep 性 in fourth tone, not second tone like 行 (xíng).
男性 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
男 nán · male · 7 strokes
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性 xìng · nature · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 男性.
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student |
| 男孩儿 | nánháir | erhua form of 男孩[nan2 hai2] |
| 男子 | nánzǐ | a man; a male |
| 性格 | xìnggé | nature; disposition |
| 个性 | gèxìng | individuality; personality |
| 性别 | xìngbié | sex; gender |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative |
| 男女 | nánnǚ | male-female; male and female |
| 男士 | nánshì | man; gentleman |
| 性质 | xìngzhì | nature; characteristic |
Questions about 男性
What does 男性 mean?
男性 (nánxìng) means "the male sex; a male" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 男性?
男性 is made of 2 characters: 男 (7 strokes), 性 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 男性 an HSK word?
Yes. 男性 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 男性 and 男人?
男性 is formal and refers to the male sex as a category, so it fits surveys, medical texts and official writing. 男人 is the everyday word for a man and can carry emotional tones, as in 真男人 a real man.
Can 男性 be used to describe things, not just people?
Yes, it often comes before a noun to mean male or for men, as in 男性用品 (nánxìng yòngpǐn) men's products or 男性朋友 (nánxìng péngyou) male friends. Note that 男性朋友 means a friend who is male, while 男朋友 means boyfriend.