男優(だんゆう)

だんゆう
noun
male actor; actor (male)
1. male actor; actor (gender-specified)
A male performer in film, television, or theater. Used mainly in formal contexts and award names where the distinction between male and female performers is relevant.
彼(かれ)は人気(にんき)男優(だんゆう)だ。
He is a popular male actor.
その作品(さくひん)で助演(じょえん)男優賞(だんゆうしょう)を受賞(じゅしょう)した。
He won Best Supporting Actor for that work.
アカデミー賞(しょう)の主演(しゅえん)男優賞(だんゆうしょう)は、映画(えいが)業界(ぎょうかい)で最(もっと)も名誉(めいよ)ある賞(しょう)の一(ひと)つだ。
The Academy Award for Best Actor is one of the most prestigious awards in the film industry.

Compound of 男(だん) (male) + 優(ゆう) (actor; the final character of 俳優(はいゆう)).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 主演(しゅえん)男優賞(だんゆうしょう): Best Actor award
  • 助演(じょえん)男優賞(だんゆうしょう): Best Supporting Actor award
  • 人気(にんき)男優(だんゆう): popular actor
  • 若手(わかて)男優(だんゆう): young/up-and-coming actor

USAGE:
Less common in everyday speech than the gender-neutral 俳優(はいゆう) (actor) — most Japanese speakers refer to a male actor simply as 俳優(はいゆう). 男優(だんゆう) is used mainly when the male/female distinction matters, such as in award titles or industry reporting.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 俳優(はいゆう): actor — gender-neutral, the default term
  • 女優(じょゆう): actress — the female counterpart, used more frequently than 男優(だんゆう)
  • 役者(やくしゃ): actor (especially in stage or traditional theater)
general
Added 2026.5.28 12:07
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