Home / gay topics / Gay in japanese word
In simple terms, sexuality was just thought of as something you do, not something you are, that was meant to segregate you.
Ancient Japan often celebrated and idealized gay culture! In other words, while the main characters of the stories are male, they tend to have "feminine" or gentle hearts in their male bodies.
For queer language learners, especially for those seeking to make a trip to Japan, the question of, “How do I share my own identity?” is probably something that gets thought about.
This is because the concept is much newer in Japan and awareness is only just beginning.
The term closest to nonbinary or gender-queer in Japanese is X-ジェンダー (ekusu jenda) which can also be written as エクスジェンダー.
You may have heard of sexualities in Japanese being compared to cooking pots.
Some say this term has roots in the Edo Period and refers to female servants.
Remember, it’s important to honor people’s feelings in how they prefer to be addressed because what can be an “okay” word to say to one person may be a derogatory term for another, so please ask first!
The literal translation of okoge means “burnt rice stuck on the pot” and is slang that refers to gay men, specifically to a woman who enjoys the company of gay men.
Like in English, it is often abbreviated and written as バイ (bai) to mean bi.
The concept of pansexuality is not well-known in Japanese society.
This can be an advantage in the gender neutral issue, as there is no need to specify a person's gender when referring to them.
This term is mostly used by the LGBT community.
The loanword クィア (kuia) is the literal translation of the word “queer.” In English, queer has become a reclaimed word that many in the LGBT community use to describe themselves. The pot became a euphemism for a person's–especially a male’s–backside. This word can be offensive and so it should not be used to refer to a person or group.
Cheeky!
Onabe literally means “cooking pan,” but in this context, this word is used to describe someone who is female-born and now lives their life identifying as a man. Nowadays, this part of history is usually buried underneath the manly bushido code that we’ve come to associate with samurai, thanks in large part to the modernization of patriarchal influence in Japanese media.
However, if you want to read more about the samurai and their role in LGBT history, check out this excellent article.
While early Japan showed evidence of sexual liberation, the country was still behind in terms of gender equality, with little to no acknowledgment of female-female relationships and attraction.
A different way to identify LGBTQ individuals with same-sex attraction is dōseiaisha (同性愛者) or same-sex-love person.
Let’s check out some Japanese words for LGBTQ that will help you name gender identities and sexual orientations.
| English | Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coming out | カミングアウト | Kamingu auto | カミングアウト |
| Sexual orientation | 性的嗜好 | Seiteki shikō | 性的嗜好 |
| Homosexual | 同性愛 | Douseiai | 同性愛 |
| Gay | ゲイ | Gei | ゲイ |
| Lesbian | レズビアン | Rezubian | レズビアン |
| Bisexual | 両性愛 | Ryousei ai | 両性愛 |
| Pansexual | 全性愛 | Zenseiai | 全性愛 |
| Heterosexual | 異性愛 | Iseiai | 異性愛 |
| Transgender | トランスジェンダ | Toransujenda | トランスジェンダ |
| Nonbinary | X-ジェンダー | Ekusu jenda | X-ジェンダー |
全 (ぜん, zen) means “all” so the term literally translates to “all sex love.”
The much more common term for pansexual, however, is the loanword パンセクシャル (pansekusharu). They are not common knowledge in the general public, but are used within the trans community.
Unlike most of the other terms, nonbinary does not have an official term or loanword.
It may be seen in research papers, news articles, and similar platforms.
Another term found in news articles in addition to common conversation is “sexual minority.” The official term used for this is 性的少数者 (せいたきしょうすうしゃ, seiteki shousuusha). This word has followed into modern times and is still widely used today.
This word can be conflicting, as it is used as a self-referential term for gay men themselves to reclaim but also as a slur used against them.
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In this article, we're going to explore the LGBTQI+ vocabulary in Japanese, including the most common words and phrases used to refer to people who are homosexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and others.
It is おこげ (okoge), which literally means “burnt rice stuck to the pot.” This term refers to women, particularly straight women, who love gay men, prefer their company, and/or fetishize them. It is also referred to by its loanword 性的マイノリティー (せいてきマイノリティー, seiteki mainoriti), which can be shortened to セクマイ (sekumai).
To celebrate LGBT communities around the world, let's learn some LGBT terms in Japanese.
First off, the term for sexual orientation is 性的指向 (せいてきしこう, seiteki shikō). It is especially common among drag queens now.
The female counterpart to おかま is おなべ (onabe), which means cooking pan.
Now more than ever, gender identity and sexual orientation regarding same-sex relationships have found their place in everyday conversations and life.
In this post, we will explore helpful Japanese vocabulary and phrases related to LGBTQ culture. That being said, ask your friends first if they don’t mind being called this word!
Here’s a fun fact: some say that this word came up because the shape of a rice pot resembles the shape of a person’s bottom.
In Japanese, the word is mostly used in an academic sense. Therefore, LGBT representation and acknowledgement have only recently come into the spotlight.