The Japanese language is unusual among major languages in the high degree to which the speech of women seen collectively differs from that of men. Differences in the ways that girls and boys use language have been detected in children as young as three years old (Tannen). Japanese (日本語, ) is a language spoken by over 127 million people, mainly in Japan, but also by Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ...

Such differences are sometimes called "gendered language." In Japanese, speech patterns peculiar to women are sometimes referred to as onna kotoba (女言葉, "women's words") or joseigo (女性語, "women's language"). Differences in use of language reflect social norms and expectations of men and women. According to Edward Sapir, for example, "one of the most important functions of language is to be constantly declaring to society . . . the place held by all of its members." Edward Sapir. ...

In Japanese, the speaker’s gender plays a large role in word choice and even sentence structure. Different words are used by men and women and/or according to status, age, and other factors. There is a complex system of politeness and formality for all speakers, but women tend to use more polite forms than men. For instance, some women may use the honorific form of nouns to show their cultural refinement or femininity. The word gender describes the state of being male, female, or neither. ...

Gendered forms are an important, well-known and much studied part of the Japanese language. They are so important, in fact, that foreign students are explicitly taught these forms, since the inability to use them can impair fluency or naturalness. According to Mangajin "it sounds very unnatural, even ludicrous, for a man to use feminine speech" (there are some exceptions, as will be shown below). Furthermore, a woman cannot sound "completely natural" speaking Japanese if she avoids feminine speech altogether (see Problems of foreign students, below). Mangajin was a monthly English-language magazine for students of Japanese language and culture. ...

Major differences in the use of Japanese

Words for "I" or "me"

Words for "you"

See also Japanese pronouns Japanese pronouns. ...

Sentence finals

Traditional characteristics of women's speech

The word onnarashii (女らしい), which is usually translated as "ladylike" or "feminine," refers to the behaviour expected of a typical Japanese woman. As well as behaving in particular ways, being onnarashii means conforming to a particular style of speech, the features of which are, according to Eleanor Jorden, "repeated like a liturgy in writings everywhere." Some of the features of women’s speech include speaking in a higher register, using more polite forms and using polite speech in more situations, and the use of particular "intrinsically feminine" words (Mangajin).

"Ladylike" speech includes the use of specific personal pronouns (see table, above), omission of the copula da, use of feminine sentence finals such as wa, and the more frequent use of the honorific prefixes o and go. The word copula originates from the Latin noun for a link or tie that connects two different things. ... Honorific speech is speech which shows respect. ...

According to Katsue Akiba Reynolds, ladylike speech is instrumental in keeping Japanese women in traditional roles and reflects Japanese society’s concept of the difference between women and men. For example, there is the potential for conflict for women in the workplace in that, in order to be onnarashii, a woman must speak politely, submissively and humbly, yet in order to command respect as a superior, she must be assertive, self-assured, and direct, even when dealing with male subordinates.

Traditional characteristics of Japanese men's speech

Just as there are modes of speaking and behaviour that are considered intrinsically feminine, there are also those that are considered intrinsically masculine. In speech, being otokorashii (男らしい, "manly" or "masculine") means speaking in a lower register, using fewer polite forms and using them in fewer situations, and using intrinsically masculine words.

In particular, men use particular masculine personal pronouns, use the informal ("da") in place of the copula desu, use masculine sentence finals such as zo, and use honorific prefixes less frequently than women.

Gender differences in modern society

As women gain an increasing leadership role in Japanese society, notions of onnarashisa and otokorashisa, i.e. what is deemed appropriate behavior for men and women, have evolved over time. Although comparatively more extreme movements call for the elimination of gender differences in the Japanese language, convergence in usage is considered unlikely and may not even be desirable. Instead, trends in actual usage indicate that women are feeling more comfortable using traditional characteristics of female speech (such as wa) while still maintaining an assertive attitude on par with men. In other words, there is a gradual decoupling of language forms and traditional cultural expectations.

Although the characteristics of Japanese male speech has been largely unaffected, there has been an increasing sensitivity regarding certain usages (such as calling mature women -chan) that may be considered offensive.

Problems for Japanese learners

Perhaps because the vast majority of Japanese language teachers are women, or perhaps because of other association with Japanese women, foreign male learners may inadvertently pick up "women's Japanese", which may sound awkward or cause embarrassment. Of course, the reverse situation is also true. In addition to the use of pronouns to refer to oneself and others, the use of titles such as -san, -chan, and -kun also is strongly influenced by gender-based overtones and is another source of potential problems for the non-native speaker. Japanese (日本語, ) is a language spoken by over 127 million people, mainly in Japan, but also by Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ... Japanese pronouns. ... In Japan, it is usual to use honorific titles after a persons name. ...

The situation is complicated by the fact that in actual usage many of the above gender differences are not as easy to delineate as they have been in the above chart. For example, in many regions of Japan it is common for older men to refer to themselves as boku or older women to refer to themselves as ore. Similarly, both men and women use wa, although the meaning and pronunciation is different.

References

• Cherry, Kittredge (1995). 日本語は女をどう表現してきたか (Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women) (in Japanese). Kodansha. ISBN 4828857281.
• Graddol, David; Joan Swann (1990). Gender Voices. Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0631137343.
• Kazuko, Ashizawa (1998). Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics. Weatherhill. ISBN 0834804522.
• Reynolds, Katsue Akiba (1990). "Female Speakers of Japanese in Transition". Aspects of Japanese Women's Language. Tokyo: Kurosio Pub.
• Sapir, Edward (1958). Culture, language and personality: Selected essays. University of California Press.
• Schonfeld, Alexander (1999). Manifestations of Gender Distinction in the Japanese Language. Retrieved on September 9, 2005.
• Smith, Phillip M. (1979). "Sex Markers in Speech". Social Markers in Speech. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Tannen, Deborah (1990). You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 0688078222.