LGBT+ issues have been a huge topic this past year. In October 2018, hit reality TV show Terrace Housewelcomed their first openly bisexual cast member Shunsuke Ikezoe. In February 2019, thirteen gay and lesbian couples sued the Japanese government in a bid to legalize same-sex marriage. In May of this year, the biggest lesbian bar in Tokyo got called out for refusing entry to a transgender womanat a women-only event. And in more positive news, at the beginning of this month, Ibaraki became the first prefecture in Japan to recognize same-sex partnerships.
With topics coming up more frequently than ever in the news, on TV shows, and even in everyday conversations, having a grasp of Japanese LGBT+ vocabulary is sure to come in handy. And if you’re a friend of Dorothy yourself, reviewing these terms before your next trip to a Japanese LGBT+ spacewill be great to help you describe your own identity and understand the various labels yourself.
While you might get by sometimes with simply saying English words in a katakana-like way (for example, “gay” translates pretty easily into ゲイ or gei), saying the Japanese word ノンケ (nonke) will communicate to Japanese people that you’re actually straight much smoother than saying ストレート (sutoreto).
Let’s take a look at some of the general vocabulary first, then go down the list of LGBTQIA.
General LGBT+ terms
同性愛 dousei ai Homosexual love (used for lesbian and gay romantic/sexual love) セクマイ sekumai Abbreviation of the English “sexual minority” to mean anything under LGBTQ+ 同性婚 dousei kon Same-sex marriage ホモ homo Homosexual ノンケ nonke Straight
L is for Lesbian
レズビアンビアン rezubian or bian Lesbian おなべ onabe A masculine lesbian woman, crossdresser, or trans man. The literal translation is “cooking pot.” It was originally used as a derogatory term, but now also has a neutral meaning.
G for Gay
ゲイ gei Gay おかま okama A feminine gay man, crossdresser, or trans woman. The literal translation is “rice pot.” It was also originally used as a derogatory term, but now has a neutral meaning, too.
B is for Bisexual
バイセクシャルバイ bisekusharu or bi Bisexual
T is for Transgender
トランスジェンダートランス toransujenda or toransu Transgender 性同一性障害 seidoitsuseishogai A more medical term for transgender FTM efu tsu emu Female-to-male (identifies male, born female) transgender MTF emu tsu efu Male-to-female (identifies female, born male) transgender
Q is for Queer
X ジェンダー ekusu jenda Genderqueer — literally translates to “X- gender” FTX/MTX efu tsu ekisu / emu tsu ekisu Female-to-genderqueer (identifies genderqueer, born female) / Male-to-genderqueer (identifies genderqueer, born male)
I is for Intersex
インターセックス半陰陽 intasekusu or haninyo Intersex, or someone with reproductive/sexual anatomy that doesn’t strictly fit female or male 中性 chusei A general term for intersex or androgynous
A for Asexual
アセクシュアル無性愛 asekushuaru / museiai Asexual
To get further acquainted with LGBT+ experiences, news and issues in Japan, read our related stories here on the blogand over at GaijinPot Travel.
