Why do I often see guys saying 何をしているの


Isn't の at the end considered feminine? Also, what should I use if I want to
sound masculine or gender neutral?

See:

[![edit:](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHUA0.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHUA0.jpg)




That chart is not incorrect but maybe a little misleading. Here's my
impression (I dropped を and い because it's usually dropped in informal
sentences):

  * 何してるの？: gender neutral, very common
  * 何してるんだ？: masculine, highly blunt, can be accusatory
  * 何してるんだい？: masculine, gentle, mainly in fiction
  * 勉強してるの。/ テレビ見てるの。: feminine, mainly in fiction
  * 勉強してるんだ。/ テレビ見てるんだ。: masculine, blunt, mainly in fiction

In the real world, 勉強をしているの and 勉強をしているんだ are both uncommon. People usually
simply omit の (e.g., "勉強。", "勉強してる。", "テレビ見てる。" as an answer to "何してるの？"). If
they really need the nuance of の, they add something else after の/のだ (e.g.,
"勉強してるんだけど。", "勉強してるんだよね。", "勉強してんねん。 (kansai)").




That chart is not incorrect but maybe a little misleading. Here's my
impression (I dropped を and い because it's usually dropped in informal
sentences):

  * 何してるの？: gender neutral, very common
  * 何してるんだ？: masculine, highly blunt, can be accusatory
  * 何してるんだい？: masculine, gentle, mainly in fiction
  * 勉強してるの。/ テレビ見てるの。: feminine, mainly in fiction
  * 勉強してるんだ。/ テレビ見てるんだ。: masculine, blunt, mainly in fiction

In the real world, 勉強をしているの and 勉強をしているんだ are both uncommon. People usually
simply omit の (e.g., "勉強。", "勉強してる。", "テレビ見てる。" as an answer to "何してるの？"). If
they really need the nuance of の, they add something else after の/のだ (e.g.,
"勉強してるんだけど。", "勉強してるんだよね。", "勉強してんねん。 (kansai)").

