聾者(ろうしゃ) looks like 龍(たつ・りゅう / dragon)+耳(みみ / ear)then 者(しゃ/person)

Etymology-wise, it seems the “dragon” part was added just for the pronunciation, not because of dragons.

It means:

“Deaf person”.

That said, 耳の不自由な人(みみのふじゆうなひと / not-free-ear people)・耳が聞こえない人(みみがきこえないひと / ears-can’t-hear people)・聴覚障害者(ちょうかくしょうがいしゃ / hearing disabled people) might be more common terms. Deaf people themselves prefer 聾者 - and I can see why! Who wouldn’t want to be a dragon eared person? I like the character.

  • e_t_
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    fedilink
    49 months ago

    Leaving the dragon angle to one side, the other options presented are a bit ableist. I don’t know if ableism is a consideration in Japanese society.

    • @NihongoOP
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      39 months ago

      a bit ableist Yea, they sound that way to me, too. I’m not sure what Japanese people think.

      But, either way I like the character聾!