喪男

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
喪	男
も Grade: S	だん Grade: 1
yutōyomi

From モテない (motenai, “unpopular”) + 男 (“man; male”). Attested from the 2000s. The negative of 持(も)てる (moteru, “be popular”), モテない (motenai), was shortened to モ (mo) and was assigned the kanji 喪 (mo, “mourning”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “clarify (where possible) dates, any differences in usage, etc.”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo̞dã̠ɴ]

Noun

喪(も)男(だん) • (modan) 

1. (Internet slang) unpopular man; unpopular guy
   • 2007 March 9, “Yomitai: Modan no tetsukaku shi [Want to read: ‘Unpopular men in in the history of philosophy’]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, page 5:

     喪(も)男(おとこ)と書(か)いて「モダン」と読(よ)む。もともとはインターネット用(よう)語(ご)で「モテない男(おとこ)」を意(い)味(み)していたが、著(ちょ)者(しゃ)は「モテない男(おとこ)」ではなく、「モテることを拒(きょ)否(ひ)する男(おとこ)」のことだと定(てい)義(ぎ)し直(なお)した。プラトン、デカルト、ニーチェ、ヘーゲル、キルケゴール、マルクス……哲(てつ)学(がく)や思(し)想(そう)の世(せ)界(かい)には、そんな偉(い)大(だい)な喪(も)男(だん)たちが数(かず)多(おお)く存(そん)在(ざい)した。

     Mo-otoko to kaite “modan” to yomu. Motomoto wa intānetto yōgo de “motenai otoko” o imi shiteita ga, chosha wa “motenai otoko” de wa naku, “moteru koto o kyohi suru otoko” no koto da to teigishi naoshita. Puraton, Dekaruto, Nīche, Hēgeru, Kirukegōru, Marukusu…… tetsugaku ya shisō no sekai ni wa, sonna idai na modantachi ga kazuōku sonzai shita.

     Written 喪男, read as modan. Originally internet slang meaning “unpopular man”, but rather than “unpopular man” the author redefines it as “a man who refuses to be popular”. Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx... there have been many such great unpopular men in philosophy and the world of ideas.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
喪	男
も Grade: S	おとこ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

See Etymology 1, above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo̞o̞to̞ko̞]

Noun

喪(も)男(おとこ) • (mootoko) 

1. synonym of もだん

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
喪	男
も Grade: S	お Grade: 1
kun'yomi

See Etymology 1, above.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo̞o̞]

Noun

喪(も)男(お) • (moo) 

1. synonym of もだん

See also

• 喪女