Woman in Japanese is 女, read onna. It is a three-stroke character drawn from a kneeling figure with folded arms. The word most people actually use in conversation and writing is 女性 (josei), which is the neutral, polite term. 女 on its own is correct but blunt, closer to “female” than to “woman.”
Woman in Japanese
Woman in Japanese is 女 (onna), three strokes, read jo or nyo inside compounds. In ordinary modern usage the safer word is 女性 (josei), the neutral term used in news, forms, and any professional setting. 女の子 (onna no ko) means girl. 彼女 (kanojo) means both “she” and “girlfriend.”
The register gap is real and worth stating plainly. Calling someone あの女 sounds cold or contemptuous depending on tone, the way “that female” does in English. あの女性 or あの方 (ano kata) is what a careful speaker says. Learners who reach for 女 because it is the character they know tend to sound harsher than they mean to.
The Kanji for Woman: 女
- Character: 女
- On’yomi: ジョ (jo), ニョ (nyo), ニョウ (nyou)
- Kun’yomi: おんな (onna), め (me)
- Stroke count: 3
- General meaning: woman, female
- Radical: 女 is itself radical number 38, called onna or onnahen when it sits on the left of a character
Japanese Symbol for Woman
The Japanese symbol for woman started as a drawing of a person kneeling with their arms folded across the front of the body, a posture of formal seated composure in ancient China. In the oracle bone forms you can still make out the head, the crossed arms, and the folded legs. Modern 女 keeps the crossing and the fold: the loop enclosed by the first two strokes is what is left of an arm, and the long horizontal that runs through everything is the body and legs settling onto the ground.
That crossing is why the character has movement in it. Nothing in 女 is square. Two diagonals pull against each other and a horizontal pins them down, which is why calligraphers enjoy the character and why a badly balanced 女 looks wrong immediately.
女 is also one of the most productive radicals in the system. It sits inside 好 (suki, to like, written as woman plus child), 姉 (ane, older sister), 妹 (imouto, younger sister), 娘 (musume, daughter), 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.
How to Write Woman in Japanese
Three strokes, and they are the trickiest three strokes in the beginner curriculum, because none of them is straight and all of them cross.
Start at the upper left. The first stroke goes down and to the right, then turns and drops down to the left, one continuous motion with a corner in the middle. The second stroke starts above and to the right of the first, sweeps down and to the left through it, and finishes below the baseline of the loop. The third stroke is the long horizontal, written last, running left to right through both diagonals and holding the whole thing together.
The horizontal comes last, which surprises people who expect the usual top-down rule. It reflects the original figure: the arms were drawn first, the body and legs after.
How to Say Woman in Japanese
Onna is said “OHN-nah.” Hold the double n for a beat; it is a full syllable of its own in Japanese, and shortening it to “ona” is the most common learner mistake. Josei is “joh-say,” two even beats. Kanojo is “kah-no-jo,” flat, with no stressed syllable.
Some ordinary sentences:
- あの女性は医者です。(Ano josei wa isha desu.) That woman is a doctor.
- 女性の方はこちらへどうぞ。(Josei no kata wa kochira e douzo.) Ladies, this way please.
- 彼女は私の姉です。(Kanojo wa watashi no ane desu.) She is my older sister.
- 女の子が三人います。(Onna no ko ga sannin imasu.) There are three girls.
- 母は強い女性です。(Haha wa tsuyoi josei desu.) My mother is a strong woman.
Words and Compounds With 女
| Word | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 女性 | josei | woman, female (the standard word) |
| 少女 | shoujo | girl, young woman |
| 女子 | joshi | girl; women’s, as a category |
| 女王 | joou | queen |
| 彼女 | kanojo | she; girlfriend |
| 長女 | choujo | eldest daughter |
| 男女 | danjo | men and women, both sexes |
| 女神 | megami | goddess |
少女 names a whole publishing category: shoujo manga is the genre aimed at girls, sitting opposite shounen. 女子 does similar work in institution names, as in 女子大 (joshidai, a women’s university).
The rarer NYO reading survives in older vocabulary: 天女 (tennyo), a celestial maiden of Buddhist art, and 女房 (nyoubou), an old-fashioned word for one’s own wife. The め reading turns up in 女神 and in 女雛 (mebina), the empress doll of the Hinamatsuri display.
Woman in Japanese Culture
Japan’s women’s national football team is called Nadeshiko Japan. The name comes from 大和撫子 (yamato nadeshiko), literally the fringed pink of Yamato, a classical phrase for an idealized Japanese woman: delicate on the surface, unbending underneath. The Japan Football Association adopted the nickname in 2004 after a public vote during the Athens Olympics, and it stopped being an antique flower reference the night the team beat the United States to win the 2011 Women’s World Cup.
That is the double edge of 女 vocabulary in one story. 大和撫子 is a compliment and a set of expectations at the same time, which is exactly why the phrase moves in and out of fashion.
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 the classical phrase, 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 and in both forms of Chinese. At three strokes it scales down well, and the diagonal energy suits a placement with some length to it, such as the forearm 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
How do you say woman in Japanese?
Woman in Japanese is 女 (onna), pronounced “OHN-nah” with the double n held. In everyday speech and writing the polite standard word is 女性 (josei), and 女の子 (onna no ko) means girl. Use 女性 when you want to sound neutral and respectful.
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.
What is the kanji for woman?
The kanji for woman is 女, three strokes, radical number 38. It comes from a pictograph of a figure kneeling with folded arms. Its on’yomi are jo, nyo, and nyou; its kun’yomi are onna and me. It appears in 女性, 少女, 女王, and 彼女.
How do you write 女 in the right stroke order?
Three strokes. First the curved stroke from the upper left that goes down-right then turns down-left. Second the long diagonal sweeping from upper right down through it to the lower left. Third the long horizontal, written last, running through both. The horizontal coming last is the part learners get wrong.
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 does 女 mean inside other kanji?
It marks a female subject or a family relationship. 好 (to like) is woman plus child, 姉 is older sister, 妹 is younger sister, 娘 is daughter, and 安 (peaceful, cheap) is a woman under a roof. As radical 38 it is one of the most frequently used building blocks in the writing system.