女性

Chinese

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

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 女性

1. (often attributive) female sex; female
2. woman

Antonyms

• 男性 (nánxìng)

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)

(deprecated template usage)

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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.

Noun

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

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 [The Veterinarian], 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) [Angel of Birth]”, 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.

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Largely superseded in everyday Japanese by josei above.

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.

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Korean

Hanja in this term
女	性

Noun

女性 • (yeoseong) (hangeul 여성)

1. hanja form^? of 여성 (“woman”)

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
女	性

Adjective

女性

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