. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: タ ,
ヌ ,
ㄆ ,
ㄡ ,
又 ,
夂 ,
夊 ,
夕 ,
支 ,
攴 ,
攵 ,
文 ,
歹 ,
歺 ,
𡚦 , and 𠨰
Translingual
Stroke order
Stroke order
Han character
女 (Kangxi radical 38, 女 +0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 女 (V ), four-corner 40400 , composition ⿻𡿨 丆 (G J K V ) or ⿻𡿨 𠂇 (H T ))
Kangxi radical #38, ⼥ .
Derived characters
Appendix:Chinese radical/女 , 奻 , 㚣 , 姦
㚢 , 𠯆 , 𡥃 , 𢑒 , 𫹌 , 𢖵 , 汝 , 𣅓 , 𪱴 , 𤖩 , 𤘙 , 𤣷 , 肗 , 𤯕 , 𫀁 , 籹 , 𦘽 , 𫌜 , 𫌳 , 𧴱 , 𧺜 , 𨐎 , 釹 (钕 ), 𩖠 , 𩚔 , 𩨚 , 𫶯 , 𠚰 , 邚 , 䎟 , 䶯
㣽 , 𭴇 , 𥁅 , 𠕷 , 𡉓 , 安 , 𢇘 , 𦬑 , 𢨭 , 𣱘 , 𥤨 , 𥫭 , 娄 , 耍 , 要 , 𮡎 , 𦯽 , 𤕢 , 𫒈 , 𩁻 , 蒆 , 𫘺 , 䆯 , 䶒 , 𨳐 , 囡
佞 , 𣍲 , 㓂 , 宼 , 窛 , 桜 , 珱 , 䋝 , 䧪 , 巕
Descendants
References
Kangxi Dictionary: page 254 , character 22
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6036
Dae Jaweon: page 516, character 19
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1023, character 23
Unihan data for U+5973
Chinese
Glyph origin
Old Chinese
拿
*rnaː
拏
*rnaː
詉
*rnaː
蒘
*rnaː, *na
笯
*rnaː, *naː, *naːs
挐
*rnaː, *na
絮
*rnaːs, *nas, *snas, *nas
呶
*rnaːw
怓
*rnaːw
帑
*n̥ʰaːŋʔ, *naː
奴
*naː
砮
*naː, *naːʔ
駑
*naː
孥
*naː
努
*naːʔ
弩
*naːʔ
怒
*naːʔ, *naːs
袽
*na
帤
*na
女
*naʔ, *nas
籹
*naʔ
恕
*hnjas
如
*nja, *njas
茹
*nja, *njaʔ, *njas
洳
*nja, *njas
鴽
*nja
蕠
*nja
汝
*njaʔ
肗
*njaʔ
Pictogram (象形 ) : a woman with breasts kneeling or standing. In modern form turned on left side: enclosed area is remnant of left breast (character's left, depicted woman's right), while right breast has disappeared.
Graphically cognate to 母 (mǔ , “mother”) and 毋 , which has developed similarly, but also includes dots for nipples and has retained both breasts. Compare Egyptian 𓁐 .
Similar but unrelated to 卩 , in which the person kneeling has unspecified gender.
Etymology 1
Wikipedia has articles on:
女 (Written Standard Chinese? ) 女 (Cantonese)
女性
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *nja-ŋ/k ( “ woman ” ) . Compare Tibetan ཉག་མོ ( nyag mo , “ woman ” ) (Hill, 2019 ).
Pronunciation 2 is an exoactive derivation of pronunciation 1 (Schuessler, 2007 ).
Pronunciation 1
Mandarin
(Standard )
(Pinyin ) : nǚ (nü3 )
(Zhuyin ) : ㄋㄩˇ
(Chengdu , Sichuanese Pinyin ) : nyü3
(Xi'an , Guanzhong Pinyin ) : nǜ
(Dungan , Cyrillic and Wiktionary ) : нү (nü, II)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou –Hong Kong , Jyutping ) : neoi5 / neoi5-2 / neoi5-1
(Taishan , Wiktionary ) : nui2
Gan (Wiktionary ) : nyy3 / nyyn3
Hakka
(Sixian , PFS ) : ńg
(Hailu , HRS ) : ngˊ
(Meixian , Guangdong ) : n3
Jin (Wiktionary ) : ny2
Northern Min (KCR ) : nṳ̌
Eastern Min (BUC ) : nṳ̄
Southern Min
(Hokkien , POJ ) : lú / lí / lír
(Teochew , Peng'im ) : neng2 / ni2
Wu (Northern , Wugniu ) : 6 gniu
Xiang
(Changsha , Wiktionary ) : nyy3
(Hengyang , Wiktionary ) : ny3
Note :
neoi5-2 - “daughter; girlfriend; girl”;
neoi5-1 - “queen”.
Note :
nyy3 - usual pronunciation, including “daughter”;
nyyn3 - “daughter”.
Hakka
Jin
Northern Min
Eastern Min
Southern Min
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Quanzhou , Zhangzhou , Changtai , Taipei , Tainan , Kaohsiung , Magong )
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Zhangzhou , Changtai , Zhangpu , Jinjiang , Yilan , Hsinchu , Taichung )
(Hokkien : Quanzhou , Nan'an , Hui'an , Yongchun , Lukang , Sanxia , Kinmen , Hsinchu , Klang )
Note :
Xiamen:
Zhangzhou:
Quanzhou:
lír - more common;
lú - colloquial variant.
Note :
neng2 - vernacular;
ni2 - colloquial.
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
女
Reading #
1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
nǚ
Middle Chinese
‹ nrjoX ›
Old Chinese
/*nraʔ/
English
female
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
女
Reading #
1/2
No.
9616
Phonetic component
女
Rime group
魚
Rime subdivision
0
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese
/*naʔ/
Definitions
女
woman ; ( only of humans in Standard Chinese ) female
女 人 ― nǚ rén ― woman
女 的 ― nǚ de ― woman; female
一 個 女 演員 / 一 个 女 演员 ― yī ge nǚ yǎnyuán ― an actress
一 個 女 士兵 / 一 个 女 士兵 ― yī ge nǚ shìbīng ― a female soldier
請問 女 衛生間 在 哪兒 ? [MSC , trad. ] 请问 女 卫生间 在 哪儿 ? [MSC , simp. ] Qǐngwèn nǚ wèishēngjiān zài nǎr? Excuse me, where is the ladies' lavatory?; Excuse me, where is the women's bathroom?
Coordinate term: 男 ( nán )
See also: 母 , 雌
daughter (Classifier : 個 / 个 c ; 粒 c )
次女 ― cì'nǚ ― second daughter
佢 係 我 個 女 。 [Cantonese , trad. ] 佢 系 我 个 女 。 [Cantonese , simp. ] keoi5 hai6 ngo5 go3 neoi5-2 She's my daughter .
( Cantonese ) girl ; young female (Classifier : 條 / 条 c ; 班 c )
靚女 / 靓女 [Cantonese ] ― leng3 neoi5-2 ― pretty girl
( Cantonese , Teochew , slang ) girlfriend (Classifier : 條 / 条 c ; 粒 mn-t )
( Cantonese , card games ) queen (Classifier : 張 / 张 c ; 隻 / 只 c )
( astronomy ) the Girl ( a Chinese constellation near Aquarius , 10th of the Twenty-Eight Mansions and part of the Black Turtle )
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of
女兒 (“daughter”)
Variety
Location
Words
Classical Chinese
女
Formal (Written Standard Chinese )
女兒
Northeastern Mandarin
Beijing
女兒 , 女花兒 , 閨女 , 姑娘 , 丫頭
Taiwan
女兒
Langfang
閨妮
Hulunbuir (Hailar)
女兒
Harbin
女兒 , 姑娘 , 閨女 , 閨娘 , 丫頭
Shenyang
姑娘 , 丫頭
Malaysia
女兒
Singapore
女兒
Jilu Mandarin
Tianjin
女兒 , 閨女 , 小棉襖 humorous
Tangshan
閨女
Cangzhou
閨女
Baoding
閨女
Shijiazhuang
閨女
Weifang (Weicheng)
閨女
Weifang (Fangzi)
閨女 , 嫚兒
Changle
閨女兒
Shouguang
閨女
Wulian
閨女 , 丫頭 , 嫚兒 , 識字班
Jinan
閨女
Jiaoliao Mandarin
Yantai (Muping)
閨娘 , 閨娘子 , 女兒
Qingdao
閨女
Weifang (Hanting)
閨女
Changyi
閨女 , 嫚姑子
Gaomi
閨女 , 嫚兒 , 嫚兒姑子
Zhucheng
閨女
Anqiu
閨女
Linqu
閨女
Qingzhou
閨女
Central Plains Mandarin
Daming
妮兒
Wanrong
女子
Zhengzhou
閨女 , 妞
Xi'an
女 , 女兒
Xining
姑娘 , 丫頭
Xuzhou
女兒 , 閨女
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)
女兒 , 姑娘兒
Lanyin Mandarin
Yinchuan
女兒 , 丫頭
Bayanhot
丫頭
Lanzhou
女兒
Ürümqi
女兒 , 丫頭
Southwestern Mandarin
Chengdu
女兒 , 女 , 姑娘兒
Wuhan
姑娘 , 丫頭
Guiyang
姑娘 , 女娃娃 , 女娃兒 , 幺女 , 幺姑娘 , 小丫頭 , 小姑娘
Kunming
囡兒 , 姑娘
Guilin
女兒
Liuzhou
女 , 丫頭
Sanjiang (Danzhou)
妹崽
Jianghuai Mandarin
Nanjing
女兒 , 姑娘
Yangzhou
女兒 , 姑娘
Nantong
丫頭
Hefei
女兒 , 丫頭
Huanggang
女兒
Cantonese
Guangzhou
女
Hong Kong
女 , 女女 , 阿女
Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)
女 , 妹仔
Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)
女
Hong Kong (Ting Kok)
阿女
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)
阿女
Macau
女
Guangzhou (Panyu)
女
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)
女
Guangzhou (Conghua)
女
Guangzhou (Zengcheng)
女
Foshan
女
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)
女
Foshan (Shunde)
女
Foshan (Sanshui)
女
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)
女
Zhongshan (Shiqi)
女
Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)
女
Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)
女
Zhuhai (Doumen)
女
Jiangmen (Baisha)
女
Jiangmen (Xinhui)
女
Taishan
女
Kaiping (Chikan)
女
Enping (Niujiang)
女
Heshan (Yayao)
女
Dongguan
女
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)
女
Shenzhen (Dapeng)
阿女
Qingyuan
女
Fogang
女
Yingde (Hanguang)
女
Yangshan
妹仔
Lianshan (Butian)
女
Lianzhou (Qingshui; Sihui)
女
Shaoguan
女
Shaoguan (Qujiang)
女
Renhua
女
Lechang
女
Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)
女
Sihui
女
Guangning
女
Deqing
女
Huaiji
女
Fengkai (Nanfeng)
女
Yunfu
女
Xinxing
女
Luoding
女
Yunan (Pingtai)
女
Yangjiang
桓仔 , 妹仔
Xinyi
女
Maoming (Xinpo)
女
Lianjiang
女
Wuchuan (Wuyang)
康女兒 , 夫娘儂
Nanning
女
Wuzhou
女
Yulin
女
Hepu (Lianzhou)
女
Guiping
女
Mengshan (Xihe)
女
Guigang (Nanjiang)
女
Beiliu (Tangliao)
女
Baise
女
Bobai
女
Lingshan
女
Pubei
女
Qinzhou
女
Beihai
女
Beihai (Nankang)
女
Beihai (Yingpan)
女
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)
女 , 妹仔
Ningming
女
Hengzhou
女
Hezhou (Pumen, Babu)
女仔
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)
女
Danzhou
女
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)
女
Singapore (Guangfu)
女
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)
女
Móng Cái
女
Gan
Nanchang
女 , 姑娘
Lichuan
女
Pingxiang
女 , 妹仔
Hakka
Meixian
妹仔
Xingning
妹哩
Dabu (Xihe)
妹兒 , 女
Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)
阿女
Huiyang
妹子
Huidong (Daling)
妹仔
Dongguan (Qingxi)
妹主
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)
妹主
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)
妹子
Wuhua (Shuizhai)
妹哩
Wuhua (Huacheng)
妹哩
Wuhua (Changbu)
妹哩
Wuhua (Mianyang)
妹哩
Heyuan (Bendihua)
阿女
Wengyuan
妹子
Shaoguan (Qujiang)
妹子
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)
妹仔
Liannan
妹子
Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)
女
Jiexi
妹
Luhe
妹仔 , 阿女
Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)
阿女
Changting
妹子 , 女
Wuping
妹子
Wuping (Yanqian)
女哩
Wuping (Pingyu)
妹子
Liancheng
妹子娘
Ninghua
女
Yudu
女 , 女子
Ningdu
女
Ruijin
女 , 女子
Shicheng
女
Shangyou (Shexi)
女
Tonggu (Sandu)
妹子
Ganzhou (Panlong)
女
Dayu
女哩
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
妹仔 , 妹子
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
妹仔 , 妹子
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
妹仔 , 妹子
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
妹 , 妹子 , 細妹
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
妹仔 , 妹子
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
阿女
Hong Kong
妹子
Yangxi (Tangkou)
妹子
Yangchun (Sanjia)
女
Xinyi (Sihe)
女
Xinyi (Qianpai)
女
Gaozhou (Xindong)
女
Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)
女
Huazhou (Xin'an)
女子
Lianjiang (Shijiao)
妹𧊅 , 女子
Lianjiang (Qingping)
女
Mengshan (Xihe)
妹子
Luchuan
女
Luchuan (Daqiao)
女
Bobai (Shahe)
女
Beiliu (Tang'an)
妹
Mashan (Pianlian)
妹子
Sabah (Bao'an)
妹子
Sabah (Longchuan)
妹哩
Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)
妹
Senai (Huiyang)
妹子
Singkawang
妹子
Huizhou
Jixi
女
Shexian
女
Huangshan (Tunxi)
囡 , 囡囝
Xiuning
囡兒
Yixian
囡兒
Qimen
女 , 女兒
Wuyuan
女 , 女兒 , 囡
Fuliang
女崽
Dexing
𡚴姑
Jingde
女伲
Shitai (Xianyu)
女兒
Jin
Taiyuan
閨女 , 姑娘 , 妮子
Pingyao
閨女 , 女子
Xinzhou
閨女
Hohhot
閨女 , 女子
Zhangjiakou
閨女
Handan
閨女
Northern Min
Jian'ou
阿娘囝
Jian'ou (Dikou)
娘囝
Songxi
阿娘囝
Zhenghe
阿娘囝
Zhenghe (Zhenqian)
娘囝
Jianyang
阿娘囝
Wuyishan
阿娘囝
Pucheng (Shibei)
阿娘囝
Eastern Min
Fuzhou
諸娘囝
Fuzhou (Changle)
諸娘囝
Fuqing
諸娘囝
Yongtai
諸娘囝
Gutian
諸娘囝
Pingnan
諸娘囝
Fu'an
諸娘囝
Ningde
諸母囝
Shouning
諸母囝
Zhouning
諸娘囝
Fuding
諸母囝
Matsu
諸娘囝
Southern Min
Xiamen
查某囝 , 查某仔
Quanzhou
查某仔
Yongchun
查某囝
Zhangzhou
查某仔 , 灶雞
Zhangzhou (Changtai)
查某仔
Pinghe
查某囝 , 查某仔 Xiazhai, Jiufeng, Luxi
Zhangpu
查某仔
Dongshan
查囝
Taipei
查某囝
New Taipei (Sanxia)
查某囝
Kaohsiung
查某囡仔 , 查某囝
Yilan
查某囝
Changhua (Lukang)
查某囝
Taichung
查某囝
Taichung (Wuqi)
查某囝
Tainan
查某囝
Taitung
查某囝
Hsinchu
查某囝
Kinmen
查某囡仔
Penghu (Magong)
查某囝
Penang (Hokkien)
查某囝 , 查某仔
Singapore (Hokkien)
查某囝
Manila (Hokkien)
查某仔 , 查某囝
Longyan
查某仔
Zhangping
查某仔
Zhangping (Yongfu)
查某仔
Datian
阿使
Pingnan (Shangdu)
女
Chaozhou
走囝
Shantou
走囝
Shantou (Chenghai)
走囝
Jieyang
走囝
Haifeng
查某囝
Bangkok (Teochew)
走囝
Johor Bahru (Teochew)
走囝
Singapore (Teochew)
查某囝 , 走囝
Batam (Teochew)
查某囝 , 走囝
Pontianak (Teochew)
查某囝
Leizhou
查某囝
Wenchang
查某囝
Haikou
查某囝 , 查囝
Qionghai
查某囝
Puxian Min
Putian
嬸娘囝
Xianyou
子囝
Central Min
Yong'an
娘囝
Zhongshan Min
Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)
中母囝
Southern Pinghua
Nanning (Tingzi)
女
Northern Pinghua
Guilin (Dahe)
女
Shehua
Fu'an
女
Fuding
女
Luoyuan
女
Sanming
女
Shunchang
女
Hua'an
妹仔
Guixi (Zhangping)
女
Cangnan
女
Jingning (Hexi)
女
Lishui
女
Longyou
女
Chaozhou
女
Fengshun
女
Wu
Shanghai
囡兒 , 囡 dated , 囡兒大細 dated , 小鬼丫頭 endearing
Shanghai (Chongming)
丫頭
Suzhou
囡兒
Wuxi
囡兒
Danyang
女兒
Hangzhou
女兒
Ningbo
囡
Wenzhou
奶兒
Jinhua
囡兒 , 囡 , 女兒
Xiang
Changsha
女 , 妹子
Xiangtan
女 , 妹唧
Loudi
女
Shuangfeng
女
Quanzhou
女崽
Xiangnan Tuhua
Jiangyong
女
Dialectal synonyms of
女朋友 (“girlfriend”)
Variety
Location
Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese )
女朋友 , 女友
Northeastern Mandarin
Beijing
女朋友
Taiwan
女朋友 , 女友 , 馬子 humorous or derogatory
Singapore
女朋友
Central Plains Mandarin
Xuzhou
女朋友
Southwestern Mandarin
Chengdu
女娃子 , 女娃娃 , 女娃兒 , 盤子
Guilin
𧊅
Jianghuai Mandarin
Nanjing
女朋友 , 攀西
Cantonese
Guangzhou
女朋友 , 女
Hong Kong
女朋友 , 女友 , 女 , 女女 , 菜 derogatory
Taishan
女朋友 , 女
Dongguan
皮油
Singapore (Guangfu)
女朋友
Hakka
Meixian
女朋友
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
細妹朋友 , 女朋友
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
細妹朋友 , 女朋友
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
細妹朋友 , 女朋友
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
細妹朋友 , 女朋友
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
妹子朋友 , 女朋友
Eastern Min
Fuzhou
女朋友
Southern Min
Xiamen
女朋友
Shishi
女朋友
Taipei
姼仔 GT
Penang (Hokkien)
查某朋友
Singapore (Hokkien)
查某朋友
Manila (Hokkien)
女朋友 , 查某朋友
Chaozhou
女朋友
Haifeng
女朋友
Singapore (Teochew)
查某朋友
Leizhou
女朋友
Singapore (Hainanese)
女朋友
Wu
Shanghai
女朋友
Suzhou
女朋友
Hangzhou
女朋友
Ningbo
女朋友
Zhoushan
女朋友
Xiang
Changsha
妹子
Note
GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)
Dialectal synonyms of
圈兒 (“queen (playing cards)”)
Variety
Location
Words
Northeastern Mandarin
Beijing
疙瘩 , 疙瘩包
Central Plains Mandarin
Luoyang
皮蛋 , 十二
Zhengzhou
十二 , 圈
Xi'an
圈子
Xuzhou
皮蛋 , 皮球 , 球蛋
Lanyin Mandarin
Ürümqi
皮蛋 , 圈子
Southwestern Mandarin
Wuhan
皮蛋 , 蛋 , 環 , 婆婆
Guiyang
蛋 , 蛋蛋
Liuzhou
悶 , 丘
Jianghuai Mandarin
Nanjing
皮蛋
Yangzhou
皮蛋
Cantonese
Guangzhou
女
Hong Kong
女
Taishan
女
Nanning
敏
Nanning (Tanka)
文
Wuzhou
敏
Yulin
敏
Gan
Nanchang
皮蛋
Pengze
箍
Lichuan
皮蛋
Pingxiang
蛋 , 皮蛋架架
Hakka
Yudu
圈子
Huizhou
Jixi
皮蛋
Jin
Taiyuan
圈兒
Southern Min
Xiamen
Q , 卵
Shantou
箍 , 𡚸 , 妹
Puning
箍
Wu
Shanghai
皮蛋
Shanghai (Chongming)
皮蛋
Suzhou
蛋 , 皮蛋
Ningbo
皮蛋 , 蛋
Compounds
Descendants
Pronunciation 2
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
女
Reading #
2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
nǜ
Middle Chinese
‹ nrjoH ›
Old Chinese
/*nraʔ-s/
English
give as a wife
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
女
Reading #
2/2
No.
9618
Phonetic component
女
Rime group
魚
Rime subdivision
0
Corresponding MC rime
女
Old Chinese
/*nas/
Definitions
女
† to give one's daughter in marriage ; to give as wife
Etymology 2
For pronunciation and definitions of 女 – see 汝 (“you ”). (This character is a variant form of 汝 ).
References
Japanese
Kanji
女
(First grade kyōiku kanji )
woman
daughter
Readings
Go-on : にょ ( nyo , Jōyō )
Kan-on : じょ ( jo , Jōyō ) ←ぢよ ( dyo , historical )
Kan’yō-on : にょう ( nyō , Jōyō † )
Kun : おんな ( onna , 女 , Jōyō ) ←をんな ( wonna , 女 , historical ) ←をみな ( womina , 女 , ancient) 、め ( me , 女 , Jōyō ) 、おうな ( ōna , 女 ) ←をうな ( wouna , 女 , historical ) 、おな ( ona , 女 ) ←をな ( wona , 女 , historical ) 、おなあ ( onā , 女 ) ←をなあ ( wonaa , 女 , historical ) 、むすめ ( musume , 女 ) 、なんじ ( nanji , 女 ) ←なんぢ ( nandi , 女 , historical )
Nanori : おな ( ona ) 、た ( ta ) 、つき ( tsuki ) 、な ( na )
Compounds
Compounds
女( じょ ) 王( おう ) ( joō ) , 女( じょう ) 王( おう ) ( jōō ) , 女( にょ ) 王( おう ) ( nyoō , “ queen ” )
女( じょ ) 医( い ) ( joi , “ female doctor ” )
少( しょう ) 女( じょ ) ( shōjo , “ young girl , style of anime for young women ” )
女( じょ ) 系( けい ) ( jokei , “ woman-succession ; matrilineal ” )
女( じょ ) 傑( けつ ) ( joketsu , “ brave woman” )
女( じょ ) 権( けん ) ( joken , “ women's rights ” )
女( じょ ) 史( し ) ( joshi , “ Ms. ” )
女( じょ ) 中( ちゅう ) ( jochū , “ maid ” )
処( しょ ) 女( じょ ) ( shojo , “ virgin , maiden ” )
女( じょ ) 子( し ) ( joshi , “ girl ” )
女( じょ ) 児( じ ) ( joji , “ female infant ” )
女( じょ ) 神( しん ) ( joshin )
女( じょ ) 性( せい ) ( josei , “ woman ” )
女( じょ ) 声( せい ) ( josei , “ female voice ” )
女( じょ ) 婿( せい ) , 女( じょ ) 壻( せい ) ( josei , “ son-in-law ” )
女( じょ ) 帝( てい ) ( jotei , “ empress ” )
女( じょ ) 優( ゆう ) ( joyū , “ actress ” )
女( じょ ) 流( りゅう ) ( joryū , “ female ” )
女( じょ ) 郎( ろう ) ( jorō , “ prostitute ” )
女( にょ ) 官( かん ) ( nyokan , “ court lady ” )
女( にょ ) 性( しょう ) ( nyoshō )
女( にょ ) 将( しょう ) ( nyoshō , “ mistress , hostess ” )
女( にょ ) 人( にん ) ( nyonin , “ woman ” )
女( にょう ) 房( ぼう ) ( nyōbō , “ wife ” )
悪( あく ) 女( じょ ) ( akujo )
王( おう ) 女( じょ ) ( ōjo ) , 王( おう ) 女( にょ ) ( ōnyo , “ princess ” )
皇( おう ) 女( じょ ) ( ōjo )
宮( きゅう ) 女( じょ ) ( kyūjo )
孝( こう ) 女( じょ ) ( kōjo , “ filial daughter ” )
工( こう ) 女( じょ ) ( kōjo , “ female worker ” )
皇( こう ) 女( じょ ) ( kōjo , “ imperial princess ” )
才( さい ) 女( じょ ) ( saijo )
子( し ) 女( じょ ) ( shijo )
二( じ ) 女( じょ ) ( jijo )
次( じ ) 女( じょ ) ( jijo )
侍( じ ) 女( じょ ) ( jijo )
淑( しゅく ) 女( じょ ) ( shukujo )
信( しん ) 女( にょ ) ( shinnyo )
仙( せん ) 女( にょ ) ( sennyo ) , 仙( せん ) 女( じょ ) ( senjo , “ fairy , nymph , elf ” )
善( ぜん ) 女( にょ ) ( zennyo )
息( そく ) 女( じょ ) ( sokujo , “ daughter ” , honorific )
男( だん ) 女( じょ ) ( danjo )
男( だん ) 尊( そん ) 女( じょ ) 卑( ひ ) ( dansonjohi )
痴( ち ) 女( じょ ) ( chijo , “ slut , female libertine ” )
長( ちょう ) 女( じょ ) ( chōjo , “ eldest daughter ” )
天( てん ) 女( にょ ) ( tennyo )
東( トン ) 女( じょ ) ( tonjo )
男( なん ) 女( にょ ) ( nannyo )
美( び ) 女( じょ ) ( bijo , “ beauty , belle ” )
本( ぽん ) 女( じょ ) ( ponjo )
魔( ま ) 女( じょ ) ( majo , “ witch ” )
遊( ゆう ) 女( じょ ) ( yūjo )
幼( よう ) 女( じょ ) ( yōjo )
養( よう ) 女( じょ ) ( yōjo )
老( ろう ) 女( じょ ) ( rōjo )
女将( おかみ ) ( okami )
女形( おやま ) ( oyama )
貴女( あなた ) ( anata )
海女( あま ) ( ama )
瞽女( ごぜ ) ( goze )
女衒( ぜげん ) ( zegen )
侍女( まかたち ) , 従女( まかたち ) ( makatachi )
巫女( みこ ) ( miko )
皇女( みこ ) ( miko )
湯女( ゆな ) ( yuna )
Etymology 1
⟨womi1 na⟩ → */womʲina/ → /womʉna/ → /wonːa/ → /onːa/
Shift from Old Japanese womina → omina . See the 女 ( omina ) entry for further details.
Now one of the standard Japanese words for "a woman".
Pronunciation
Noun
女( おんな ) • (onna ) ←をんな ( wonna ) ?
a female person
Antonym: 男 ( otoko )
( specifically ) a woman , an adult female
Antonym: 男 ( otoko )
a wife
Synonyms: 妻 ( tsuma ) , 女房 ( nyōbō )
a mistress , concubine
Synonyms: 愛人 ( aijin ) , 情婦 ( jōfu ) , 妾 ( mekake )
a maid
Synonyms: 下女 ( gejo ) , 女中 ( jochū )
a prostitute
Synonyms: 淫売婦 ( inbaifu ) , 女郎 ( jorō ) , 売春婦 ( baishunfu ) , 遊女 ( yūjo )
a woman's appearance or quality
a feminine object
the object in a pairing which is smaller , gentler , etc. than the other
( vulgar ) girlfriend
人( ひと ) の 女( おんな ) に 手( て ) を出( だ ) すな !Hito no onna ni te o dasuna! Don't you fuckin' dare touch someone else's girl !
Derived terms
Idioms
Proverbs
Etymology 2
⟨womi1 na⟩ → */womʲina/ → /omina/
From Old Japanese .[ 4]
The initial /wo/ expressed "small , youth " and contrasted with /o/ "grown , old " (as in 嫗 ( omina , “ old woman” ) ), while the medial /mi/ is cognate with 女 ( me , “ female , woman ” , see below ) . According to Frellesvig (2010), proto-Japonic /e/ became Old Japanese in final position and elsewhere; analogous with PJ /o/ , which became OJ in final position and elsewhere (though PJ /i/ and /u/ also existed, compare Old Japanese 火 's two readings /po/ & /pu/ in Western & Eastern Old Japanese, respectively (Vovin, 2017)).
Pronunciation
Noun
女( おみな ) • (omina ) ←をみな ( womina ) ?
( archaic ) a young woman
( archaic ) a woman
Derived terms
Proper noun
女( おみな ) • (Omina ) ←をみな ( Womina ) ?
a female given name
Etymology 3
⟨me1 ⟩ → */mʲe/ → /me/
From Old Japanese ,[ 6] from Proto-Japonic *mia .
Appears to be distinct from 目 ( ⟨me2 ⟩ → me , “ eye ” ) .
Pronunciation
Noun
女( め ) • (me )
a woman
Antonym: 男 ( o )
女( め ) 神( がみ ) me gamigoddess
a wife
c. 890 , Taketori Monogatari (page 3)[ 8]
...女( め ) の女( をんな ) にあづけてやしなはす。 ...me no onna ni azukete yashinawasu. (please add an English translation of this example)
Synonym: 妻 ( tsuma )
Antonym: 男 ( o )
a female
Antonym: 男 , 牡 , 雄 ( o )
Usage notes
Used more in compounds than on its own.
Derived terms
Derived terms
女女( めめ ) しい , 女々( めめ ) しい ( memeshii , “ unmanly , effeminate , sissy ” )
姪( めい ) ( mei , “ niece ” )
夫婦( めおと ) ( meoto , “ man and wife , married couple ” )
女( め ) 親( おや ) ( meoya , “ mother ” , archaic )
女( め ) 神( がみ ) ( megami , “ goddess ” )
女( め ) 瓦( がわら ) ( megawara )
女木( めぎ ) ( megi , “ female tree ; lower or receiving piece of wood in a join ” )
女( め ) 君( ぎみ ) ( megimi ) : polite term for another person's wife or daughter
女子( めこ ) ( meko , “ woman and child ; girl ” )
雌( めす ) , 牝( めす ) ( mesu , “ female animal ” )
女( め ) 滝( だき ) : in a waterfall with two cataracts , the smaller of the two
女( メ ) 竹( ダケ ) ( medake , “ Pleioblastus simonii ” )
娶( めと ) る ( metoru , “ get married ” )
女( め ) 波( なみ ) ( menami ) : the smaller waves
婚( めま ) く ( memaku , “ get married ” )
女( め ) の子( こ ) ( me no ko , “ girl ; woman ” )
乳母( めのと ) ( menoto ) , 傅( めのと ) ( menoto , “ nanny ; wetnurse ; foster parent ” )
郎( いらつ ) 女( め ) ( iratsume ) : ( archaic ) an ancient term of endearment for referring to a woman or girl
浮( う ) かれ女( め ) , 浮( うかれ ) 女( め ) ( ukareme , “ female entertainer or prostitute ” )
采( うね ) 女( め ) ( uneme )
乙( おと ) 女( め ) ( otome , “ maiden ” )
姑( しゅうとめ ) ( shūtome , “ mother-in-law ” )
手弱( たおや ) 女( め ) ( taoyame ) , 手弱( たわや ) 女( め ) ( tawayame )
端( はした ) 女( め ) ( hashitame , “ servant girl ” )
姫( ひめ ) ( hime , “ princess ” )
日( ひる ) 孁( め ) , 日( ひる ) 霊( め ) , 日( ひる ) 女( め ) ( Hirume )
娘( むすめ ) ( musume , “ daughter ” )
嫁( よめ ) ( yome , “ bride ” )
Etymology 4
⟨womi1 na⟩ → */womʲina/ → /womʉna/ → /woũna/ → /woːna/ → /oːna/
Variant shift from Old Japanese womina → omina (see above).
Noun
女( おうな ) • (ōna ) ←をうな ( wouna ) ?
( archaic ) a young woman
Etymology 5
/wonːa/ → /wona/ → /ona/
Shift from onna (see above).
Noun
女( おな ) • (ona ) ←をな ( wona ) ?
( obsolete ) a young woman
Etymology 6
/wona/ → /wonaː/ → /onaː/
Long-pronounced form of ona (see above).
Noun
女( おなあ ) • (onā ) ←をなあ ( wonaa ) ?
( obsolete ) a young woman
Etymology 7
/dɨo/ → /d͡ʑo/
From Middle Chinese 女 (MC nrjoX| nrjoH ).
Pronunciation
Noun
女( じょ ) • (jo ) ←ぢよ ( dyo ) ?
a woman , especially an actress or a prostitute
Proper noun
女( じょ ) • (Jo ) ←ぢよ ( Dyo ) ?
( Chinese astronomy ) the Girl , one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions
Synonyms: うるき星 ( Urukiboshi ) , 女宿 ( Joshuku )
Hypernyms: 二十八宿 , 玄武
Suffix
女( じょ ) • (-jo ) ←ぢよ ( -dyo ) ?
( historical ) suffixed to names of female figures in the Edo period
See also
References
↑ 1.0 1.1 “おんな[をんな] 【女】 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten ] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , 2000-2002, released online 2007 , →ISBN , concise edition entry available here
↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira , editor (2006 ), 大辞林 [Daijirin ] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo : Sanseidō , →ISBN
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute , editor (1998 ), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary ] (in Japanese), Tokyo : NHK Publishing, Inc. , →ISBN
^ womina at OxFord-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 “おみな[をみな] 【女】 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten ] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , 2000-2002, released online 2007 , →ISBN , concise edition entry available here
^ Frellesvig, Bjarke, Stephen Wright Horn, et al. (eds.) (2023 ) “Old Japanese mye ”, in Oxford-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese
↑ 7.0 7.1 “め 【雌・女・牝・妻】 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten ] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , 2000-2002, released online 2007 , →ISBN , concise edition entry available here
^ Horiuchi, Hideaki with Ken Akiyama (1997 ) Taketori Monogatari , Ise Monogatari , Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten , →ISBN
^ “じょ[ヂョ] 【女】 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten ] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , 2000-2002, released online 2007 , →ISBN , concise edition entry available here
Korean
Etymology 1
From Middle Chinese 女 (MC nrjoX| nrjoH ).
Hanja
Wikisource
女 (eumhun 계집 녀 ( gyejip nyeo ) , word-initial (South Korea) 계집 여 ( gyejip yeo ) )
hanja form? of ] ( “ female ; woman ” )
Compounds
Compounds
여체 (女體 , yeoche )
여인 (女人 , yeoin )
여자 (女子 , yeoja )
여장 (女裝 , yeojang )
여진 (女眞 , yeojin )
여성 (女性 , yeoseong )
여신 (女神 , yeosin )
여왕 (女王 , yeowang )
여동생 (女同生 , yeodongsaeng )
여학생 (女學生 , yeohaksaeng )
차녀 (次女 , chanyeo )
창녀 (娼女 , changnyeo )
처녀 (處女 , cheonyeo )
미녀 (美女 , minyeo )
손녀 (孫女 , sonnyeo )
소녀 (少女 , sonyeo )
소녀 (小女 , sonyeo )
수녀 (修女 , sunyeo )
숙녀 (淑女 , sungnyeo )
양녀 (養女 , yangnyeo )
처녀막 (處女膜 , cheonyeomak )
약혼녀 (約婚女 , yakhonnyeo )
남존여비 (男尊女卑 , namjonyeobi )
중남경녀 (重男輕女 , jungnamgyeongnyeo )
Etymology 2
From Middle Chinese 女 / 汝 (MC nyoX ).
Hanja
女 (eumhun 너 여 ( neo yeo ) )
( literary Chinese ) hanja form? of 여 ( “ you ” )
References
국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典 .
Vietnamese
Han character
女 : Hán Việt readings: nữ (尼 ( ni ) 呂 ( lữ ) 切 ( thiết ) )[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] , nhữ (忍 ( nhẫn ) 與 ( dữ ) 切 ( thiết ) )[ 1] [ 5]
女 : Nôm readings: nợ [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 6] [ 4] [ 5] [ 7] , nữa [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] [ 7] , nữ [ 1] [ 2] [ 6] [ 4] [ 7] , nỡ [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 6] , nớ [ 3] [ 6] [ 4] [ 5] , nhỡ [ 1] [ 3] [ 6] , lỡ [ 2] [ 3] [ 6] , nửa [ 1] [ 3] , nhớ [ 1] , nự [ 3]
chữ Hán form of nữ ( “ female ” ) .
Nôm form of nhớ ( “ to remember, to miss ” ) .
Nôm form of nỡ ( “ to be willing ” ) .
Nôm form of nữa ( “ furthermore ” ) .
Nôm form of nợ ( “ to owe; debt ” ) .
Nôm form of nửa ( “ half ” ) .
Compounds
References