男装
だんそう
noun
dressing as a man; male attire (on a woman); cross-dressing (female-to-male)
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 男装する | 男装しない |
| Present polite | 男装します | 男装しません |
| Past | 男装した | 男装しなかった |
| Past polite | 男装しました | 男装しませんでした |
| て form | 男装して | 男装しなくて |
| ている present | 男装している | 男装していない |
| ている polite | 男装しています | 男装していません |
| ている past | 男装していた | 男装していなかった |
| ている past polite | 男装していました | 男装していませんでした |
| Conditional ば | 男装すれば | 男装しなければ |
| Conditional たら | 男装したら | 男装しなかったら |
| Volitional | 男装しよう | — |
| Volitional polite | 男装しましょう | — |
| Potential | 男装できる | 男装できない |
| Passive | 男装される | 男装されない |
| Causative | 男装させる | 男装させない |
| Imperative | 男装しろ | 男装するな |
1.
the act of a woman dressing in men's clothing, or the male appearance thus produced — includes theatrical cross-dressing, cosplay, and everyday fashion
Refers specifically to a woman adopting a male appearance through clothing, hairstyle, and sometimes binding or makeup. The word is neutral and covers a wide range of contexts: the all-female 宝塚 revue where actors play male roles, anime and manga characters, historical disguise, cosplay, and gender-expression fashion.
男装して街を歩いた。
She dressed as a man and walked around town.
彼女の男装姿はとてもかっこいい。
She looks really cool dressed as a man.
宝塚では女性俳優が男装して男役を演じる。
In the Takarazuka Revue, female performers dress as men to play the male roles.
戦国時代の物語には、男装して戦場に向かう女性の話がよく登場する。
Stories about the Warring States period often feature women who disguise themselves as men and head off to the battlefield.
Composed of 男 ("man") + 装 ("attire, dressing"). Always refers to a female wearing men's clothing; for the reverse, use 女装.
TRANSITIVITY:
- 男装する is intransitive: the subject is the person doing the dressing, not something being dressed.
- Usually expressed as 女性が男装する, never 〜を{男装する}.
USAGE:
- Common fixed phrases: 男装する ("to dress as a man"), 男装姿 ("appearance dressed as a man"), 男装の麗人 ("beautiful cross-dressed woman" — a somewhat literary/romantic set phrase).
- Frequent in contexts of theater (宝塚, 歌舞伎), historical fiction, anime/manga, cosplay, and fashion.
- Neutral in register; neither positive nor negative on its own. The related 異性装 is a more clinical/gender-studies term.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 男装する: to dress as a man
- 男装姿: appearance dressed as a man
- 男装の麗人: a beautiful woman dressed as a man (set phrase)
- 男装で外出する: to go out dressed as a man
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 女装: dressing as a woman — the symmetric counterpart.
- 変装: disguise — any change of appearance to hide identity; broader than gender alone.
- 異性装: cross-dressing — a gender-neutral, more academic term.
- 男役: a male role (played by a woman) — the theatrical role, not the clothing.