娘

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

娘 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 女戈日女 (VIAV), four-corner 4343₂, composition ⿰女良)

Derived characters

• 𭉻, 𦷄, 𬏒

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 262, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6304
• Dae Jaweon: page 529, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1054, character 5
• Unihan data for U+5A18

Chinese

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *naŋ) : semantic 女 + phonetic 良 (OC *raŋ).

Etymology 1

Not attested in pre-Tang texts. It may ultimately have been a fusion of 女郎 (MC nrjoX lang, “lady”) (Coblin, 1994).

Alternatively, from 女 (OC *naʔ, *nas, “woman”) with an attached suffix *-ŋ also found in 卬 (OC *ŋaːŋ, *ŋaŋʔ, “I for my part”) as against 我 (OC *ŋaːlʔ, “I”) (Sagart, 1999: 134). However, evidence for this suffix is sparse; Sagart only adduces these two pairs of words.

As yet another suggestion, it may be a loan from Proto-Turkic *ana ~ *eńe (“mother”); compare Turkish ana and Uyghur ئانا (ana) (Vovin and McCraw, 2011).

Pronunciation

Definitions

娘

1. woman, especially a young girl

   姑娘  ―  gūniang  ―  girl

   • 江邊黃竹子，
     堪作女兒箱。
     一船使兩槳，
     得娘還故鄉。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     江边黄竹子，
     堪作女儿箱。
     一船使两桨，
     得娘还故乡。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 〈黄竹子歌〉 "Song of the Yellow Bamboo" in 《樂府詩集》 "Collected songs of the Music Bureau style" by 郭茂倩 Guo Maoqian. Translated by Li Wai-yee (2014)

     Jiāngbiān huáng zhúzǐ,
     Kān zuò nǚ'ér xiāng.
     Yī chuán shǐ liǎng jiǎng,
     Dé niáng huán gùxiāng.

     The yellow bamboo by the river,
     Can be made into a maiden's basket.
     One boat with two oars:
     Get the lady and return home.

2. (colloquial) mother; ma

   • 爺娘聞女來，出郭相扶將。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     爷娘闻女来，出郭相扶将。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 6th century,《木蘭辭》 The Ballad of Mulan

     Yéniáng wén nǚ lái, chū guō xiāng fú jiāng.

     Her father and mother – hearing their girl returns – go out to the suburbs to welcome her back.

3. wife of another person

   三伯、三伯娘 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

   saam¹ baak³, saam¹ baak³ noeng⁴

   father's third elder brother; wife of a father's third elder brother

4. elderly lady
5. (religion) "The Lady" (an epithet of the Fujianese sea goddess Mazu (媽祖／妈祖 (Māzǔ))

   • 天后宮位於澎湖縣馬公市正義街上，俗稱「天妃宮」、「媽祖宮」，在明代稱為「娘宮」、「媽娘宮」、「娘媽宮」「媽宮」等 [MSC, trad.]
     天后宫位于澎湖县马公市正义街上，俗称「天妃宫」、「妈祖宫」，在明代称为「娘宫」、「妈娘宫」、「娘妈宫」「妈宫」等 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2013?, "澎湖天后宫 (Penghu Tianhou Temple), 蚂蜂窝 (Mafengwo)

     Tiānhòu Gōng wèiyú Pénghú Xiàn Mǎgōng Shì Zhèngyì Jiē shàng, súchēng “Tiānfēi Gōng”, “Māzǔ Gōng”, zài Míngdài chēngwéi “Niáng Gōng”, “Māniáng Gōng”, “Niángmā Gōng” “Mā Gōng” děng

     The Tianhou Temple located on Zhengyi Street, Magong City, Penghu County, commonly known as the “Tianfei Temple” or the “Mazu Temple”, known as “Niang Temple”, “Maninang Temple”, “Niangma Temple”, etc. during the Ming dynasty

6. (usually derogatory, of a man or a boy) girly; effeminate; feminine

   娘炮  ―  niángpào  ―  sissy

   • 為什麼「臺北國語」會導致臺灣腔變「娘」？首先是外省人的出身。 [MSC, trad.]
     为什么「台北国语」会导致台湾腔变「娘」？首先是外省人的出身。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2019 March 26, 郑子宁 (Zhen Zining), 《台湾腔为什么这么“娘”》, in 《国防时报》, page 21

     Wèishénme “Táiběi guóyǔ” huì dǎozhì táiwānqiāng biàn “niáng”? Shǒuxiān shì wàishěngrén de chūshēn.

     Why does "Taipei Mandarin" cause the Taiwanese accent to be "girly"? First, it is the background of the waishengren.

7. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 娘 (MC nrjang)

Synonyms

• (mum):

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• → Khmer: នាង (niəng, “young woman; girl”)
• → Lao: ນາງ (nāng, “woman; girl; lady; Mrs.”)
• → Thai: นาง (naang, “woman; wife; female lover”)
• → Vietnamese: nàng (“lady; young woman; she”)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Definitions

娘

1. (Cantonese) old-fashioned

Compounds

References

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00927

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: にょう (nyō)^{←にやう (nyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: じょう (jō)^{←ぢやう (dyau, historical)}
• Tō-on: にゃん (nyan)
• Kun: むすめ (musume, 娘, Jōyō); こ (ko, 娘)

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Nihon Shoki of 720.

Analyzed as a compound of 生す (musu, “to beget”) +‎ 女 (me, “female”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) むすめ​ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

娘(むすめ) • (musume)  (counter 人)

1. (humble) a daughter
   • 2007 October 20, Izawa, Hiroshi with Yamada, Kotaro, “最(さい)終(しゅう)話(わ)：それぞれの道(みち)へ (Saishūwa: Sorezore no Michi e, “Final Chapter: Epilog”)”, in ファイアーエムブレム：覇(は)者(しゃ)の剣(つるぎ) (Faiā Emuburemu: Hasha no Tsurugi, “Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions”), Jump Remix edition, volume 5 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 352:

     王(おう)国(こく)の『娘(むすめ)』セシリア

     Ōkoku no ‘Musume’ Seshiria

     Cecilia, ‘Daughter’ of the Kingdom

Synonyms

• (daughter): 娘(むすめ)さん (musume-san), お嬢(じょう)さん (ojōsan) (honorific)

See also

• 女(じょ)子(し) (joshi): girl
• 女(おんな)の子(こ) (onna no ko): girl
• 女(おんな) (onna): woman
• 息(むす)子(こ) (musuko): son
• 男(だん)子(し) (danshi): boy
• 男(おとこ)の子(こ) (otoko no ko): boy
• 男(おとこ) (otoko): man

Etymology 2

Alternative spelling. See 子 (ko).

Noun

娘(こ) • (ko) 

1. Alternative spelling of 子 (“girl”)
   • 1996 February 20 [1988 February 15], Mitsuru Adachi, “テイク・オフ (Teiku Ofu, “Take Off”)”, in ショートプログラム (漫(まん)画(が)) (Shōto Puroguramu (manga), “Short Program (manga)”), 25th edition, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 107:

     自(じ)分(ぶん)で自(じ)分(ぶん)の行(こう)動(どう)に条(じょう)件(けん)をつけちゃうんだよ、この娘(こ)—— 例(たと)えば、毎(まい)年(とし)初(はつ)雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)るまでモチは食(く)わないとか、霊(れい)柩(きゅう)車(しゃ)が通(とお)るまで道(みち)を渡(わた)らないとか、ネコがあくびするまでコタツを出(で)ないとか。

     Jibun de jibun no kōdō ni jōken o tsukechaun da yo, kono ko—— Tatoeba, maitoshi hatsuyuki ga furu made mochi wa kuwanai toka, reikyūsha ga tōru made michi o wataranai toka, neko ga akubisuru made kotatsu o denai toka.

     This girl, I’m telling you, she sets terms for every of her own actions— Like, not eating mochi until the first snowfall of each year, not crossing the street until the hearse passes by, or not leaving the kotatsu until her cat yawns.

Derived terms

• お転(てん)婆(ば)娘(こ) (o-tenbako, “tomboy”)
• ドジっ娘(こ) (dojikko, “clumsy girl”)
• 眼(め)鏡(がね)っ娘(こ) (meganekko, “bespectacled girl”)

References

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 娘 (MC nrjang). Recorded as Middle Korean 냐ᇰ (nyang) (Yale: nyang) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

娘

Wikisource

娘 (eumhun 아가씨 낭 (agassi nang))
娘 (eumhun 아가씨 랑 (agassi rang))

1. Hanja form^? of 낭/랑 (“woman”).

Compounds