女性

Chinese

		female; woman; daughter	sex; nature; suffix corresponding to ‑ness or ‑ity
trad. (女性)		女	性
simp. #(女性)		女	性

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nǚxìng

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄩˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): neoi⁵ sing³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): lú-sèng / lír-sèng / lí-sèng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): neng² sên³

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶gniu-shin

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nǚxìng
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄩˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nyǔsìng
    • Wade–Giles: nü³-hsing⁴
    • Yale: nyǔ-syìng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: neushinq
    • Palladius: нюйсин (njujsin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ny²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: neoi⁵ sing³
    • Yale: néuih sing
    • Cantonese Pinyin: noey⁵ sing³
    • Guangdong Romanization: nêu⁵ xing³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɵy̯¹³ sɪŋ³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lú-sèng
    • Tâi-lô: lú-sìng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lwsexng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /lu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ²¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /lu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lu⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɪŋ⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lír-sèng
    • Tâi-lô: lír-sìng
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lɯ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ siɪŋ⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lí-sèng
    • Tâi-lô: lí-sìng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lysexng
    • IPA (Taipei): /li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ¹¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /li⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪŋ²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: neng² sên³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: nṳ́ng sèⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɯŋ⁵²⁻³⁵ sẽ²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶gniu-shin
    • MiniDict: nyu^去 shin
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³nyy-xin
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /n̠ʲy²² ɕin⁴⁴/

Noun

女性

1. (often attributive) the female sex; female

   女性衛生用品／女性卫生用品  ―  nǚxìng wèishēng yòngpǐn  ―  feminine hygiene products

2. woman; female

   月經期女性／月经期女性  ―  yuèjīngqī nǚxìng  ―  menstruating women

Antonyms

• 男性 (nánxìng)

Derived terms

• 女性主義／女性主义 (nǚxìng zhǔyì)
• 女性化 (nǚxìnghuà)
• 女性學／女性学 (nǚxìngxué)
• 女性歇斯底里 (nǚxìng xiēsīdǐlǐ)
• 女性生殖器切割 (nǚxìng shēngzhíqì qiēgē)
• 女性研究 (nǚxìng yánjiū)
• 女性貶抑／女性贬抑
• 女性避孕套 (nǚxìng bìyùntào)

 

See also

• 婦女／妇女 (fùnǚ)
• 女的 (nǚde)
• 女人 (nǚrén)
• 女子 (nǚzǐ)
• 女生 (nǚshēng)
• 女孩 (nǚhái)
• 女孩子 (nǚháizi)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
女	性
じょ Grade: 1	せい Grade: 5
on’yomi

Spelling repurposed from nyoshō below during the Meiji period (1868–1912), using the relatively newer kan'on readings of the characters.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じょせー [jòséé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞se̞ː]

Noun

女(じょ)性(せい) • (josei) ^{←ぢよせい (dyosei)?} (counter 人)

1. a woman (adult female person)
   • 1993 December 15 [1990 March 25], Sasaki, Noriko, 動(どう)物(ぶつ)のお医(い)者(しゃ)さん (動(どう)物(ぶつ)のお医(い)者(しゃ)さん), 36th edition, volume 3 (fiction), Tokyo: Hakusensha, →ISBN, page 19:

     年(とし)頃(ごろ)の女(じょ)性(せい)が自(じ)分(ぶん)の腸(ちょう)なんか見(み)ていていいのだろうか

     Toshigoro no josei ga jibun no chō nan ka mite ite ii no darō ka

     Is it okay for a woman of marriageable age to stare at her own guts?

   • 1999 August 26, “誕(たん)生(じょう)の天(てん)使(し)”, in BOOSTER 4, Konami:

     女(じょ)性(せい)のおなかに命(いのち)が宿(やど)った事(こと)を知(し)らせてくれると言(い)われている。

     Josei no onaka ni inochi ga yadotta koto o shirasete kureru to iwarete iru.

     Legend has it that it can tell you when a woman gets with child.

   • 2000 January 27, “アルラウネ [Alraune]”, in Vol.7, Konami:

     花(はな)の中(なか)の女(じょ)性(せい)が毒(どく)花(か)粉(ふん)をまき散(ち)らす。近(ちか)づいてはいけない。

     Hana no naka no josei ga doku kafun o makichirasu. Chikazuite wa ikenai.

     A flower-dwelling woman who spreads poisonous pollen. Never get anywhere near her.

   • 2015 March 10 [2014 December 10], Yūji Shiozaki, “第百五拾参話 [Chapter 153]”, in 一騎当千, 2nd edition, volume 23 (fiction), Tokyo: Wani Books:

     これで興(こう)福(ふく)寺(じ)学園を処分する理由が出来ました　多勢で一人の女性を暴行した罪は重く…その償いは死

     Kore de Kōfukuji Gakuen o shobun suru riyū ga dekimashita Tazei de hitori no josei o bōkō shita tsumi wa omoku… Sono tsugunai wa shi

     I now have a justification to dispose of Kōfukuji Academy. Ganging up on a lone woman, that shall not go unpunished… And the punishment is death.

2. (biology, grammar) the feminine gender

Synonyms

• 女(おんな)の人(ひと) (onna no hito): woman
• 女(おんな) (onna): woman

Antonyms

• 男(おとこ)の人(ひと) (otoko no hito): man
• 男(おとこ) (otoko): man
• 男(だん)性(せい) (dansei): male; man

See also

• 性(せい)別(べつ) (seibetsu): biological gender
• 性(せい) (sei): grammatical gender
• 子(こ)供(ども) (kodomo): child; children
• 少(しょう)女(じょ) (shōjo): young girl
• 少(しょう)年(ねん) (shōnen): young boy
• 青(せい)年(ねん) (seinen): young man

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
女	性
にょ Grade: 1	しょう Grade: 5
on’yomi

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 女性 (MC nrjoX sjengH, “woman; female + character; gender”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.

Largely superseded in everyday Japanese by josei above.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) にょしょー [nyòshóó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟o̞ɕo̞ː]

Noun

女(にょ)性(しょう) • (nyoshō) ^{←によしやう (nyosyau)?}

1. (rare, dated) a woman

Synonyms

• 婦(ふ)人(じん) (fujin): woman

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Korean

Hanja in this term
女	性

Noun

女性 • (yeoseong) (hangeul 여성)

1. Hanja form^? of 여성 (“woman”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
女	性

Adjective

女性

1. chữ Hán form of nữ tính (“feminine”).