Someone said, “Kore, ii wane” (This is nice).
Can you tell who said this? Was it a man or a woman?
Japanese can easily tell that this is a woman.
Attached to the endings of sentences, words like “wa,” “dawa,” “yone,” “none,” “kashira” are generally regarded as being “female expressions.”
For instance, when using “kirei,” men generally add the following words to the end of sentences.
“Kirei da.” “Kirei dayo.” “Kirei kana.”
It is said that women add the following words.
“Kirei dawa.” “Kirei yone.” “Kirei kashira.”
However, in real conversation, few women add these words.
These expressions are used to emphasize the feminine gender of women mainly in novels and such.
It is said these feminine expressions are especially used by translators of foreign movies and novels.
At present, men and women express themselves similarly.
However, there are words like “ore” and “boku” that only men use to express themselves with.
Conversely, there are words like “atashi” that only women use to express themselves with.
There are also words like “suteki” that few men use.
Gay men like to use so called feminine words like “Suteki yo” and “Suteki ne.”
These kinds of expressions used by gay men are called “onee language.”
(From March issue, 2014 / 2014年3月号より)
「これ、いいわね」
“Kore, ii wane”
kore ii wane
わかりますか。
wakarimasu ka.
can (you) tell
日本人は
Nihonjin wa/ha
Japanese
わかります。
wakarimasu.
can tell
語尾
gobi
(the) endings of sentences
言葉は、
kotoba wa/ha,
words
一般的に
ippantekini
generally
「女性語」
“josei go”
(being) female expressions
されます。
saremasu.
are regarded
たとえば、
Tatoeba,
for instance
一般的に
ippanteki ni
generally
次のような
tsugino youna
(the) following
語尾を
gobi o/wo
words to the end of sentences
つけて言います。
tsukete iimasu.
add [and say]
「きれいだ」
“Kirei da”
kirei da
「きれいだよ」
“Kirei dayo”
kirei dayo
「きれいかな」。
“Kirei kana.”
kirei kana
次のような
tsugino youna
(the) following
つけて言う
tsukete iu
add [and say]
されます。
saremasu.
(it) is said
「きれいだわ」
“Kirei dawa”
kirei dawa
「きれいよね」
“Kirei yone”
kirei yo ne
「きれいかしら」。
“Kirei kashira.”
kirei kashira
あまりいません。
amari imasen.
few
表現は
hyougen wa/ha
expressions
より女性らしく
yori josei rashiku
(the) feminine gender (of) <more feminine>
強調するために
kyouchou suru tame ni
to emphasize
使われています。
tsukawarete imasu.
are used
外国映画
gaikoku’eiga
foreign movies
小説の
shousetsu no
novels
翻訳家
honnyakuka
translators (of)
女性語を
joseigo o/wo
feminine expressions
使ってきた
tsukattekita
are used
いわれています。
iwarete imasu.
(it) is said
現代では
Gendai dewa/ha
at present
同じように
onaji youni
similarly
表現します。
hyougen shimasu.
express (themselves)
自分を
jibun o/wo
themselves (with)
表現するのに
hyougen suru noni
to express
自分を
jibun o/wo
themselves (with)
表現するのに
hyougen suru noni
to express
「すてき」
“suteki”
suteki (that)
「すてきよ」
“Suteki yo”
suteki yo
「すてきね」
“Suteki ne”
(and) suteki ne
女性的
joseiteki
feminine
これらの
korera no
these kinds of
言葉は
kotoba wa/ha
expressions
「オネエ言葉」と
“onee kotoba” to
onee language
呼ばれます。
yobaremasu.
are called