Danaa (Japanese gender and sex term)

Danaa (Japanese: ダナー or ダナ; romanized: danaa or dana) is a Japanese term used in lesbian and transgender communities.

The term generally refers to a person who was assigned female at birth (AFAB) and is perceived as masculine in appearance, behavior, gender expression, or gender identity. Depending on the context, the term may include masculine lesbians, butch individuals, trans men, transmasculine people, FTX people, and others with masculine gender expressions.

Etymology

The term is believed to derive from the Japanese word ‘‘danna’’ (旦那), meaning “husband.” It originated within Japanese lesbian communities and was used to describe people who occupied a masculine social or gender role.

History

In Japanese lesbian and transgender communities of the early 2000s, the boundaries between lesbian, trans men, and other gender-diverse identities were often less clearly defined than they are today.

During this period, ‘‘danaa’’ was sometimes used as an umbrella term for people assigned female at birth who expressed masculinity or identified in masculine ways.

The term appears to be less commonly used in contemporary Japanese LGBTQ communities than it was in the early 2000s.

Related terms

Danaazu (ダナーズ) is a related term that generally refers to a danaa who is attracted to another danaa, or to a relationship between two danaa individuals.

See also

• Danaazu (Japanese gender and sex term)
• Trans man
• Transmasculine
• X-gender
• Butch
• Glossary of Japanese gender and sex terminology