おとこ

Japanese

Etymology

/woto2ko1/: *[wotəko] > [wotoko] > [otoko]. Cognate with the verb wot- (“to become young”) with ko as a male suffix. Contrasts with woto₂me, the female version.

Noun

おとこ (hiragana おとこ, romaji otoko, historical hiragana をとこ)

1. man; male person.

References

• The Oxford Starter Japanese Dictionary. ISBN 0-19-860197-2