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**Warning!** _This question contains at least one, possibly, derogatory word.
I apologise if readers are offended._

A friend of mine asked me to translate a passage from a poem in British
English into Japanese, and I'm having a little trouble with slang and phrases
used in it, particularly the words `Dyke` and `Femme`. I asked the friend I'm
translating it for, and she confirmed that these words are used in the
following contextual meaning:

> Dyke "masculine lesbian"  
>  Femme "feminine lesbian"

Are there any specific words or phrases that I can use to convey the
contextual meaning of these words in my translation? I'm aiming for informal
Japanese in my translation. I figured that it would be easier to translate
from informal English into informal Japanese. Plus, I doubt that there are any
formal derogatory terms for the words I'm stuck on.

I'm using [Oxford Japanese-English
Dictionary](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/0198607482) and the
dictionary built into JWP-ce. I realise that some words and phrases are
difficult to translate from one language to another, and I also realise that
some things aren't going to translate at all.
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2012-03-02T09:11:47.927
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question
word-choice words slang offensive-words
"Dyke" and "Femme"
I can only offer this:

  * レズビアンの男役 literally meaning "male role" in a lesbian pair

I suppose we could synthesise レズビアンの女役 for the "female role" but I'm not sure
if 女役 is a recognized compound. Either that or レズビアン is by default referring
to the female role, and the male role has to be specified. (I am entirely
unsure on this so it'll be good if someone could confirm this)

Alternatively:

  * ダイク

  * フェム/ファム
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2012-03-02T09:33:44.933
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answer
I haven't talked to my lesbian friend in a long time, but I'll offer some
words from my memory and from "Japanese Street Slang," by Peter Constantine.

レズ - This corresponds to the English dyke, or lesbian. I think it has more of
a "dyke" butch feel to it than just plain old lesbian.

おたち - "The Japanese equivalent of 'bull dyke', used in lesbian circles, and
originally deriving from a term from Kabuki theater たちやく, which designates the
sturdy, masculine role".

ねこ、ねんね - "Cat" and "Girly", both derived from homosexual male street slang,
meaning passive homosexuals or femme lesbians. (last two answers paraphrased
from "Japanese Street Slang")

I am not familiar with the proper spelling or usage of the last three words,
so any other information provided would be appreciated.
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2012-03-03T03:15:30.853
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answer