Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search
See also , , , , , , , , , , , , , and

Contents

Translingual [edit]

Stroke order
女-order.gif

Etymology [edit]

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  (mother), which has developed similarly, but also includes dots for nipples and has retained both breasts.

女 女 女 女
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Large seal script Small seal script

Han character [edit]

(radical 38 +0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 女 (V), four-corner 40400)

  1. female
  2. rad. 38

Antonyms [edit]

Descendants [edit]

References [edit]

  • KangXi: page 254, character 22
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6036
  • Dae Jaweon: page 516, character 19
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1023, character 23
  • Unihan data for U+5973

Cantonese [edit]

Hanzi [edit]

(jyutping jyu5, neoi5, neoi6, Yale neui5)


Hakka [edit]

Hanzi [edit]

(POJ ńg, nyi2, Guangdong ngi3, ng3, ngiu3 [Meixian], Hagfa Pinyim ng3)

References [edit]


Japanese [edit]

Kanji [edit]

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings [edit]

Compounds [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Old Japanese. /womi1na/ > /womina/ > /omina/. The initial /wo/ expressed "small, youth" and contrasted with /o/ "grown, old" (as in  (omina) "old woman"). The medial /mi/ is cognate with  (me, female, woman).

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

(hiragana おみな, romaji omina, historical hiragana をみな)

  1. (archaic) a young woman
  2. (archaic) a woman

Etymology 2 [edit]

From earlier /womina/: /womina/ > /woɴna/ > /oɴna/.

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

(hiragana おんな, romaji onna, historical hiragana をんな)

  1. a woman
Usage notes [edit]

This has superseded omina, and is now one of the standard Japanese words for woman.

Etymology 3 [edit]

From Old Japanese. /me1/ > /me/

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

(hiragana , romaji me)

  1. female
  2. woman
  3. wife
Usage notes [edit]

Used more in compounds than on its own.

Derived terms [edit]

References [edit]

See also [edit]


Korean [edit]

Hanja [edit]


Eumhun:

  • Sound (hangeul): () (revised: nyeo(yeo), McCune-Reischauer: nyŏ(yŏ), Yale: nye(nye))
  • Name (hangeul): 계집 (revised: gyejip, McCune-Reischauer: kyejip, Yale: kyeycip)
  1. (계집 녀, gyejip-): (vulgar) female, woman, wife.

Mandarin [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Hanzi [edit]

(pinyin (nü3), (ru3), Wade-Giles3)

Compounds [edit]


Middle Chinese [edit]

Han character [edit]

(* niǔ, * njiǔ)


Min Nan [edit]

Hanzi [edit]

(POJ lú (lu2), lí (li2))


Vietnamese [edit]

Han character [edit]

(nữ, nữa, lỡ, nhỡ, nớ, nợ, nỡ, nự)