onnagata

O1N1N1A1G2A1T1A1
UK/ˌɒnəˈɡɑːtə/

noun

A male actor who plays female roles in Japanese kabuki theatre.

OriginJapanese 女形 →
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Meanings

nounonnagata (plural onnagatas or onnagata)

plural onnagatas

  1. A male actor who plays female roles in Japanese kabuki theatre.

Origin

  1. Japanese女形
  2. Englishonnagata

From Japanese 女形 (おんながた, onnagata), a compound of 女 (おんな, onna, “woman”) + 形 (かた, kata, “form”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with onnagata

datasonatastrataregattaerratacantatastigmatafermataarrabbiataburratacassatainamorataterra sigillatavia ferrata
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

onnagata. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onnagata

MLA

“onnagata.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onnagata. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “onnagata,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/onnagata.

Source: onnagata on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.