(Untitled)

[maganona]

How do you say "shemale" in Japanese?

Comments

[happymrlocust]

Everyone has the right to self-identify the way they like, wouldn't you agree?

I'm sorry, I don't see how that has any application to the word at hand.

She makes the point of "Why would you want to use that word", and that's a fair question in the circumstance. Why would you use such a term, with such negative connotations, to describe yourself or others? There are a multitude of less offensive terms to use. It might even be easier to translate if the correct term is used.

And... as for "condescending" how do you know she doesn't work with victims of abuse due to being transgendered or in transition? Not that she does, but you make the assumption that she does not have a legitimate point to find fault with the use of the term.

[shizuku_san]

I don't know what that means in English. It is English, right? Is it a term for some type of transgender person?

[shizuku_san]

In that case, I seriously doubt that there is an equivalent term in Japanese. I remember my hostfamily discussing some transgender person we saw on the TV and them all concluding that there really was no "good" word to describe what s/he was. I'm not sure if they were all derogatory or just inaccurate, but yeah. They may not have been up on the current queer vocabulary, though, so maybe there is a word.

I'm just going to keep calling you on this... I'm sorry...

[happymrlocust]

"hermaphrodite"

You realise that hermaphrodite is primarily used as a biological term for an organism which may be fulfilling the reproductive role of the male or female at any given time?

Even if you could apply the term to humans, you'd still be slightly wrong because it directly relates to reproductive organs. Breasts aren't reproductive organs.

Use your dictionaries folks.

I knew the porn industry tolerates a great many things, racism and violence being some... but I didn't know they also advocated the gross misuse of words as well.

[happymrlocust]

Would that be more of a genre word though, akin to Hentai?

Unless it does literally does mean what it says in the wiki... something I'm not entirely sure I trust in any shape size or form. :)

[elena]

Well, from looking up the two different kanji it gives, one meaning 'promoted' and the other meaning appearance (where futa is the kanji for two in both choices), it makes sense to me. A woman with male genitals has been given something "better", in a traditional japanese mindset. The appearance of being of two different genders also makes sense.

[happymrlocust]

Oh that's pretty neat all told.

I wish, at this point, I understood Japanese far better than I do. Or at all, come to think of it.

[vargtimmen]

Woo let's get all flustered and self-righteous because a Russian doesn't realize an English word has negative connotations.

[batmiles]

Seriously... yeesh. Censorship woo!

[diello]

Well, as someone who likes to put her two gay cents in;
I don't know any trannie who is offended by the word "shemale" nor do I know any gay person offended by the words "fag" or "queer." In fact, I do have a trannie friend who has used the word "shemale" to refer to herself. I'm pretty sure that counts as reclaiming the word.
But I'm sorry that I don't know the word in Japanese. Wouldn't a slang dictionary have such a word?

[ephraim_oakes]

hi. "trannie" here... actually i prefer the non-diminutive "transgender" or just "trans", thanks. totally offended by the word 'shemale'. it's a product of the porn industry which uses it to objectify and exploit trans women. it pretty much sucks. if a few people self-identify that way, or other trans folks choose to use it as an in-group term, that's fine. but, that doesn't make it non-offensive on the whole or appropriate for non-trans people to use.

[diello]

I didn't say it wasn't offensive on the whole, and I certainly don't agree with barring it from non-trans, but I do agree that non-trans should know their boundaries for their trans friends.
Also, sorry for 'trannie.' Come to think of it, that's one for transvestites, isn't it?

[chyzar]

I don't think "tranny," or "trannie," is restricted to transvestites (or cross-dressers, as my friends who identify as such prefer to be called). I've heard it used for people anywhere under the trans umbrella, whether they like it or not. I'm trans myself, and I generally have a negative reaction toward hearing people refer to others as a tranny without already knowing that that person identifies with that term. It's kind of like "queer" in that way, where some people like it and some people really don't.

As for the term "shemale," in my experience, it has a much stronger negative connotation. I can imagine that within some social circles it might be reclaimed, but on a more widespread level, it seems like a bad idea for anyone to use it referring to anyone but themselves.