The Kanji at a Glance
The kanji for woman is 女, read onna. The oldest forms show a figure kneeling with arms crossed in front, and the modern shape still keeps that crossed, folded posture.
- On’yomi: JO, NYO, NYOU
- Kun’yomi: onna, me
- Strokes: 3
- Core meaning: woman, female
Three strokes, but they are the trickiest three strokes in the beginner curriculum. The first sweeps down and right, the second crosses back down and left, and the third is the long horizontal that ties them together. Get the crossing points wrong and the character loses its balance immediately.
Meaning and Nuance
The character is neutral in compounds and blunt on its own. That distinction matters more than anything else on this page.
- 少女 (shoujo) is a girl or young woman, and it names the whole manga genre aimed at that readership.
- 女王 (joou) is a queen. This is the JO reading doing what it usually does, sitting at the front of a formal compound.
- 女性 (josei) is the standard polite word for a woman or women, the one you would use in writing or in any professional setting.
- 彼女 (kanojo) means “she” and also “girlfriend,” a double duty that Japanese learners have to get used to fast.
The NYO reading is rarer and older, surviving in words like 天女 (tennyo), a celestial maiden of Buddhist art, and 女房 (nyoubou), an old-fashioned word for one’s own wife.
女 is also one of the most productive radicals in the writing system. It sits inside 好 (suki, to like, written as woman plus child), 姉 (ane, older sister), 妹 (imouto, younger sister), and 安 (yasui, cheap or peaceful, written as a woman under a roof). Some of those constructions carry the assumptions of the culture that invented them, and Japanese readers are broadly aware of it.
As a Tattoo
女 is a genuinely beautiful shape. The crossing strokes give it movement, and brush styles handle it well because the sweeping lines have somewhere to go. Calligraphers like it.
The honest caution is about tone rather than error. 女 standing alone reads like a label, not a sentiment. It is the character on a restroom door and the box you tick on a form. To a Japanese reader, a lone 女 on skin reads roughly as “female,” flat and categorical, in the same way an English tattoo reading FEMALE would land. Nobody will be offended, but few people will read it as the statement of strength or identity that was probably intended.
The fix is a compound. 女性 (josei) is the respectful modern word. 少女 (shoujo) carries the youth and the literary association. 大和撫子 (yamato nadeshiko) is a classical phrase for an idealized Japanese woman, though it comes loaded with traditional expectations that not everyone wants to wear. If the intent is strength, the characters for strength or courage will say it far more directly than 女 can.
There is no script conflict. 女 is written identically in Japanese, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese.
At three strokes the character scales down well, and the diagonal energy suits a placement with some length to it, such as the forearm, the outer thigh, or the shoulder blade. Keep the crossing points crisp, because a muddy intersection is what makes an amateur 女 look wrong even to people who cannot read it.
Confirm with a native speaker before you ink, especially if you are building a compound. Preview your options with the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and read the wider context in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for woman?
The kanji for woman is 女, read onna in Japanese and JO or NYO in its Chinese-derived readings. It has three strokes and comes from a pictograph of a kneeling figure with folded arms. It means woman or female.
What does 女 mean in compounds?
It marks the female counterpart or a female subject, usually neutrally. 少女 (shoujo) is a young girl, 女王 (joou) is a queen, 女性 (josei) is the polite modern word for a woman, and 彼女 (kanojo) means both “she” and “girlfriend.” It also functions as a radical inside characters like 好 (to like) and 姉 (older sister).
Is 女 a good tattoo?
The shape is excellent and the meaning is not wrong, but on its own it reads as a category label rather than a personal statement, closer to “female” on a form than to anything empowering. A compound such as 女性 or a character for the quality you actually mean will usually communicate better.
What is the difference between onna and josei?
Both mean woman. Onna (女) is the plain native word and can sound blunt or even coarse depending on how it is used. Josei (女性) is the polite, neutral term used in writing, news, and any formal setting. If you want a respectful word for a woman in Japanese, 女性 is the safe choice.