女 — Kanji Reference

女 (woman, female): 3 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ジョ、ニョ. Kun: おんな、め.

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女

Property Value
Meaning woman, female
Strokes 3
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ジョ、ニョ
Kun-reading (訓読み) おんな、め
Radical 女 (Onna) - U+5973

Stroke Order

The character 女 is written in 3 strokes. Follow the standard top-to-bottom, left-to-right rule:

  1. Stroke 1: A diagonal stroke starting from the top right, sweeping down to the left.
  2. Stroke 2: A short horizontal stroke starting from the left, moving right, and ending in a downward hook.
  3. Stroke 3: A long horizontal stroke that crosses the first stroke, providing a stable base.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 女 is a pictograph (象形文字 - shōkei moji). It depicts a person kneeling with their hands crossed in front of them, a posture that historically represented a woman in a submissive or graceful position. Because it is a basic character, it acts as a radical itself. It appears in many kanji related to gender, family, or human qualities (e.g., 妹 imōto - younger sister, 姉 ane - older sister, 娘 musume - daughter).

Mnemonic

The Kneeling Lady: Imagine a woman kneeling on the floor, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The top diagonal stroke is her head and back, the middle hook is her crossed arms, and the bottom line is the floor she is kneeling upon.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ジョ (Jo)

Word Reading Romaji English
女性 じょせい josei female/woman
女子 じょし joshi girl/young woman
女優 じょゆう joyū actress
女王 じょおう joō queen

ニョ (Nyo)

Word Reading Romaji English
女房 にょうぼう nyōbō wife
女人 にょにん nyonin woman

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

おんな (Onna)

Word Reading Romaji English
女の人 おんなのひと onna no hito woman
女子 おんなのこ onna no ko girl

め (Me)

Word Reading Romaji English
女神 めがみ megami goddess

JLPT N5 Words Using 女

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
女 おんな onna woman N5
女の子 おんなのこ onna no ko girl N5
女の人 おんなのひと onna no hito woman N5
女性 じょせい josei female N4
女子 じょし joshi girl N4
女優 じょゆう joyū actress N3
女王 じょおう joō queen N3
女子学生 じょしがくせい joshi gakusei female student N4

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
彼女は優しいです。 かのじょは やさしいです。 Kanojo wa yasashii desu. She is kind.
私は女の兄弟がいます。 わたしは おんなの きょうだいが います。 Watashi wa onna no kyōdai ga imasu. I have a sister.
あの女の人は誰ですか。 あの おんなのひとは だれですか。 Ano onna no hito wa dare desu ka. Who is that woman?
彼女は有名な女優です。 かのじょは ゆうめいな じょゆうです。 Kanojo wa yūmei na joyū desu. She is a famous actress.
女子学生が公園にいます。 じょしがくせいが こうえんに います。 Joshi gakusei ga kōen ni imasu. There is a female student in the park.
ギリシャ神話の女神。 ギリシャしんわの めがみ。 Girisha shinwa no megami. A goddess of Greek mythology.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
女 おんな woman The "kneeling" shape; 3 strokes.
子 こ child Represents a baby with arms; 3 strokes.
汝 なんじ you (archaic) Contains 女 but adds a water radical (氵) on the left.

Usage Frequency Note

女 is one of the most fundamental kanji in the Japanese language. It is extremely common in both formal writing and daily speech. You will encounter it daily in contexts ranging from public signage (e.g., 女子トイレ joshi toire - women's restroom) to literature and casual conversation. It is essential for basic literacy.