男子（だんし、danshi）
- boy

The Japanese word 男子 ([男子) primarily means "boys" or "male youth." It refers to young males, typically of school age or younger. It can also be used more broadly to refer to males in general, but the connotation usually leans towards a younger demographic.

⚫︎ 男子生徒 Translation: Male student ⚫︎ 男子校 Translation: Boys' school ⚫︎ 男子チーム Translation: Boys' team

⚫︎ 男子 ([男子) is commonly used in contexts related to education, sports, and general descriptions of groups of young males. ⚫︎ It’s a relatively formal term, and while not overly stiff, it's suitable for situations where a clear distinction between genders is needed. ⚫︎ It's often used in written Japanese.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with the kanji 男子. ⚫︎ The reading is だんし in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in okurigana for this word.

⚫︎ 男の子 (otoko no ko): Boy (more general and common) ⚫︎ 少年 (shounen): Young boy, youth (slightly more formal) ⚫︎ 男性 (dansei): Male, man (broader term, including adults)

⚫︎ 女子 (joshi): Girls, female youth ⚫︎ 女性 (josei): Female, woman (broader term) ⚫︎ 女の子 (onna no ko): Girl

この学校には、たくさんの[男子]生徒がいます。 ・Translation: There are many male students at this school. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 男子 to specify the gender of the students.

[男子]バスケットボールの試合を見に行きましょう。 ・Translation: Let's go watch the boys' basketball game. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 男子 to specify the gender of the basketball players.

⚫︎ The kanji 男 (otoko) means "man" or "male". ⚫︎ The kanji 子 (shi, ko) means "child," "son," or "youth". ⚫︎ The combination of these two kanji 男子 (男子) literally means "male child" or "male youth."