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

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• 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/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶gniu-shin
    • MiniDict: nyu^去 shin
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³nyy-xin
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /n̠ʲy²² ɕin⁴⁴/

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)
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

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”).