Japanese word

めす

Pronunciation

Romajimesu

Meaning

  • nounfemale

Example

あの犬はめすです。a no inu wa me su de su

That dog is female.

Illustration for めす (female)

More examples

この猫はめすですか。ko no neko wa me su de su ka

Is this cat female?

Core concept

Describes the female sex of an animal in contrast with the male sex.

Common phrases

  • めすの犬me su no inu

    female dog

  • めすの猫me su no neko

    female cat

Definition in Japanese

動物について、雌の性別であるもの。dō butsu ni tsu i te mesu no sei betsu de a ru mo no

Word origin

めす (mesu) is a native Japanese word traditionally represented by the characters 雌 (mesu, "female") and 牝 (mesu, "female"); its usual opposite for animals is おす (osu, "male").

Usage tips

  • In ordinary Japanese, めす (mesu) mainly refers to animals, while English female can describe both animals and people.

Opposites

Word lists with this word