女 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

女: woman; female. JLPT N5; 3 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ジョ、ニョ、ニョウ

Kun readings

おんな、め

Romaji

jo, nyo, nyou, onna, me

Study notes

女 means 'woman, female'; it appears in terms for women, girls and female roles.

On readings: ジョ in 女性 (じょせい, woman), 女子 (じょし, girl, woman), 彼女 (かのじょ, her; girlfriend), 女優 (じょゆう, actress), 長女 (ちょうじょ, eldest daughter). ニョ is rare: 女人禁制 (にょにんきんせい, off-limits to women, usually for religious reasons), 天女 (てんにょ, celestial maiden). ニョウ appears in 女房 (にょうぼう, wife; formerly, court lady).

Kun readings: おんな, 'woman': 女の人 (おんなのひと, woman), 女の子 (おんなのこ, little girl, girl). め as kun reading appears in 女神 (めがみ, goddess) and 女々しい (めめしい, effeminate; term that today has acquired a more offensive connotation and is preferable not to use).

Special readings: 女将 (おかみ, inn owner or traditional restaurant owner), 海女 (あま, free-diving fisherwoman) and 巫女 (みこ, shrine assistant) are read as whole words.

Remember: the opposite is 男 (おとこ, man); the neutral and courteous pair is 女性 (じょせい) and 男性 (だんせい).

Example words

• 女の人 (おんなのひと) — woman
• 女性 (じょせい) — woman; female
• 女人禁制 (にょにんきんせい) — women prohibited; no women admitted
• 女房 (にょうぼう) — my wife

Example sentences

あの女の人は先生です。

ano onna no hito wa sensei desu.

That woman is a teacher.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.