Readings: ロウ (Onyomi), いらつめ, いらつこ, おとこ, を, つこ, つめ, いら, ろ, ら, をり (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Man, son, fellow, husband
The kanji 郎 is composed of 良 (ryō: good, young man) and 邑 (yū: village, town, often simplified to 阝 on the right side). It originally referred to a young, good man, often a retainer or servant, eventually evolving to mean “man” or “son”.
View JLPT N1 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 郎 has 9 strokes. It starts with the components of 良 (good) at the top left, followed by the 邑 (village) radical on the right. The stroke order for 良 begins with the dot, then the horizontal line, followed by the left and right downward strokes, and then the two horizontal strokes within. Finally, the 邑 radical is drawn starting with the vertical stroke, then the horizontal-vertical-horizontal, and concluding with the last vertical stroke.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 邑 (おおざと) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N1 |
| Grade | Unclassified (Joyo Kanji) |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ロウ (Rō)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- いらつめ (iratsume)
- いらつこ (iratsuko)
Common Words Using 郎
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 太郎 | たろう | Common male given name (first son) |
| 次郎 | じろう | Common male given name (second son) |
| 三郎 | さぶろう | Common male given name (third son) |
| 一郎 | いちろう | Common male given name (first son) |
| 野郎 | やろう | Guy, fellow (often derogatory) |
| 郎党 | ろうとう | Retainers, followers (historical term) |
| 五郎 | ごろう | Common male given name (fifth son) |
| 四郎 | しろう | Common male given name (fourth son) |
| 郎君 | ろうくん | Young man (literary/archaic) |
| 太郎丸 | たろうまる | A traditional male given name |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 郎女 | いらつめ | Lady, young woman (classical Japanese) |
| 郎子 | いらつこ | Boy, young man (classical Japanese) |
| 郎 | おとこ | Man (very rare as a direct, standalone kun-reading of 郎) |
| 郎 (suffix) | を | Archaic suffix for male names (e.g., in some historical texts) |
| 郎 (component) | つこ | Reading component in 郎子 (いらつこ) |
| 郎 (component) | つめ | Reading component in 郎女 (いらつめ) |
| 郎 (component) | いら | Reading component in 郎子/郎女 |
| 郎 (rare reading) | ろ | Extremely rare reading in ancient names/texts |
| 郎 (rare reading) | ら | As in 郎等 (いらつら), a very rare alternative reading |
| 郎 (rare reading) | をり | Extremely rare archaic reading for “young man” |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 太郎さんは今日会社を休みました。
Kana: たろうさんはきょうかいしゃをやすみました。
Romaji: Tarō-san wa kyō kaisha o yasumimashita.
English: Tarō took the day off work today.
Japanese: 次郎さんはとても真面目な学生だ。
Kana: じろうさんはとてもまじめながくせいだ。
Romaji: Jirō-san wa totemo majime na gakusei da.
English: Jirō is a very serious student.
Japanese: 昔、郎党と呼ばれる家臣たちがいた。
Kana: むかし、ろうとうとよばれるかしんたちがいた。
Romaji: Mukashi, rōtō to yobareru kashintachi ga ita.
English: In the past, there were vassals called retainers.
Japanese: 彼ら兄弟は一郎と三郎という名前です。
Kana: かれらきょうだいは「いちろう」と「さぶろう」というなまえです。
Romaji: Karera kyōdai wa Ichirō to Saburō to iu namae desu.
English: Those brothers are named Ichirō and Saburō.
Japanese: あの野郎は全くひどい奴だ。
Kana: あのやろうはまったくひどいやつだ。
Romaji: Ano yarō wa mattaku hidoi yatsu da.
English: That guy is an absolute jerk.
Japanese: 五郎丸選手はラグビー界のヒーローだ。
Kana: ごろうまるせんしゅはラグビーかいのヒーローだ。
Romaji: Gorōmaru senshu wa ragubī-kai no hīrō da.
English: Player Gorōmaru is a hero in the rugby world.
Japanese: 昔話には、よく太郎という名前の少年が出てくる。
Kana: むかしばなしには、よくたろうというなまえのしょうねんがでてくる。
Romaji: Mukashibanashi ni wa, yoku Tarō to iu namae no shōnen ga dete kuru.
English: In folktales, a boy named Tarō often appears.
Japanese: 花子と太郎は、日本の伝統的な名前の組み合わせです。
Kana: はなことたろうは、にほんのでんとうてきななまえのくみあわせです。
Romaji: Hanako to Tarō wa, Nihon no dentō-teki na namae no kumiawase desu.
English: Hanako and Tarō are a traditional combination of Japanese names.
Japanese: その昔、貴族の娘は郎女と呼ばれていました。
Kana: そのむかし、きぞくのむすめはいらつめとよばれていました。
Romaji: Sono mukashi, kizoku no musume wa iratsume to yobarete imashita.
English: Long ago, daughters of nobles were called “iratsume.”
Japanese: 彼は自分の郎党を連れて戦場へ向かった。
Kana: かれはジぶんのろうとうをつれてせんじょうへむかった。
Romaji: Kare wa jibun no rōtō o tsurete senjō e mukatta.
English: He went to the battlefield with his retainers.
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