Word
セックス
Meaning in Englishsex
Word context
What it means
セックス means sex, referring to sexual activity, especially sexual intercourse, in casual Japanese. It is a widely understood loanword used in everyday speech, media, dating contexts, and entertainment.
Main meanings
- Sex as the act of sexual intercourse between partners
- Sex as a topic in media, education, and casual conversation
- In formal or clinical contexts, more precise Japanese terms are preferred
How to use it
Used in casual conversations, entertainment media, advertising, and dating contexts; the verb form セックスする is common for describing the act, while in formal writing prefer 性行為 or 性的活動.
Variants and close terms
- 性交 (seikō) — clinical term, romaji seikō
- 性的活動 (seiteki katsudō) — formal term, romaji seiteki katsudō
- セックス (sekkusu) — common loanword in casual speech
Etymology
loanword from sex, rendered as セックス in Japanese, with the sokuon ッ indicating the double consonant and final ス representing the /s/ sound.
Origin
Borrowed into Japanese during the modern era from English 'sex'; first attested in postwar media and sex education materials, later common in everyday language.
Word class
Noun (名詞, loanword)