女 (nǚ)
The character 女 (nǚ) means “woman” or “female” in Chinese. It is a fundamental character used to represent gender and appears in many common words related to women, family roles, and feminine qualities. You’ll see it in basic vocabulary like 女儿 (nǚ’ér) meaning “daughter” and more complex terms like 女性 (nǚxìng) for “female gender” / “woman.” The character 女 often serves as a semantic component in other characters related to femininity, such as 妈 (mā – mother) or 她 (tā – she). Though simple in form, 女 plays an essential role in expressing gender and identity in the Chinese language.
1. 女人 (nǚrén) – Woman, female
📘 Meaning : A general term for an adult woman.
📝 Example :
这个女人是我的老师。
Pinyin: Zhège nǚrén shì wǒ de lǎoshī.
🔹 Breakdown :
这个 (zhège) – this
女人 (nǚrén) – woman
是 (shì) – is
我 (wǒ) – my
老师 (lǎoshī) – teacher
📘 Full Meaning : This woman is my teacher.
2. 女孩 (nǚhái) – Girl
📘 Meaning : A young female; girl.
📝 Example :
那个女孩很漂亮。
Pinyin: Nàgè nǚhái hěn piàoliang.
🔹 Breakdown :
那个 (nàgè) – that
女孩 (nǚhái) – girl
很 (hěn) – very
漂亮 (piàoliang) – pretty
📘 Full Meaning : That girl is very pretty.
3. 女友 (nǚyǒu) – Girlfriend (short form)
📘 Meaning : Informal way to say “girlfriend.”
📝 Example :
他有三个女友。
Pinyin: Tā yǒusān gè nǚyǒu.
🔹 Breakdown :
他 (tā) – he
有 (yǒu) – has
三个 (sān gè) – three
女友 (nǚyǒu) – girlfriends
📘 Full Meaning : He has three girlfriends.
4. 女性 (nǚxìng) – Female (gender, more formal)
📘 Meaning : Refers to the female gender, often used formally or academically.
📝 Example :
女性在职场中越来越重要。
Pinyin: Nǚxìng zài zhíchǎng zhōng yuè lái yuè zhòngyào.
🔹 Breakdown :
女性 (nǚxìng) – female
在 (zài) – in
职场 (zhíchǎng) – workplace
中 (zhōng) – in
越来越 (yuè lái yuè) – increasingly
重要 (zhòngyào) – important
📘 Full Meaning : Women are becoming increasingly important in the workplace.
5. 女子 (nǚzǐ) – Woman, female (more formal/literary)
📘 Meaning : A more literary or poetic word for “woman” or “female.”
📝 Example :
这位女子看起来像古代的公主。
Pinyin: Zhè wèi nǚzǐ kàn qǐlái xiàng gǔdài de gōngzhǔ.
🔹 Breakdown :
这 (zhè) – this
位 (wèi) – classifier for people
女子 (nǚzǐ) – woman
看起来 (kàn qǐlái) – looks like
像 (xiàng) – like
古代 (gǔdài) – ancient
的 (de) – ‘s
公主 (gōngzhǔ) – princess
📘 Full Meaning : This woman looks like an ancient princess.
6. 女装 (nǚzhuāng) – Women’s clothing
📘 Meaning : Clothing designed for women.
📝 Example :
这家店卖女装。
Pinyin: Zhè jiā diàn mài nǚzhuāng.
🔹 Breakdown :
这家 (zhè jiā) – this
店 (diàn) – store
卖 (mài) – sells
女装 (nǚzhuāng) – women’s clothes
📘 Full Meaning : This store sells women’s clothing.
7. 女厕 (nǚcè) – Women’s restroom
📘 Meaning : The women’s bathroom.
📝 Example :
女厕在那边。
Pinyin: Nǚcè zài nàbiān.
🔹 Breakdown :
女厕 (nǚcè) – women’s restroom
在 (zài) – is located
那边 (nàbiān) – over there
📘 Full Meaning : The women’s restroom is over there.
8. 女士 (nǚshì) – Lady, madam (polite address for a woman)
📘 Meaning : A respectful way to refer to a woman, similar to “Ms.” or “madam.”
📝 Example :
请问，女士，您需要帮助吗？
Pinyin: Qǐngwèn, nǚshì, nín xūyào bāngzhù ma?
🔹 Breakdown :
请问 (qǐngwèn) – Excuse me
女士 (nǚshì) – lady
您 (nín) – you (formal)
需要 (xūyào) – need
帮助 (bāngzhù) – help
吗 (ma) – question marker
📘 Full Meaning : Excuse me, lady, do you need help?
9. 女生 (nǚshēng) – Female student; girl (informal)
📘 Meaning : Often refers to a female student or casually to a girl.
📝 Example :
我们班有很多女生。
Pinyin: Wǒmen bān yǒu hěnduō nǚshēng.
🔹 Breakdown :
我们 (wǒmen) – we
班 (bān) – class
有 (yǒu) – have
很多 (hěnduō) – many
女生 (nǚshēng) – female students
📘 Full Meaning : There are many girls in our class.
10. 女神 (nǚshén) – Goddess (internet slang for an idolized female)
📘 Meaning : Literally “goddess,” often used online to describe a highly admired woman.
📝 Example :
她在学校是男生心中的女神。
Pinyin: Tā zài xuéxiào shì nánshēng xīnzhōng de nǚshén.
🔹 Breakdown :
她 (tā) – she
在 (zài) – at
学校 (xuéxiào) – school
是 (shì) – is
男生 (nánshēng) – male students
心中 (xīnzhōng) – in the heart of
的 (de) – ‘s
女神 (nǚshén) – goddess
📘 Full Meaning : She is the goddess in the hearts of the boys at school.
11. 女儿 (nǚ’ér) – Daughter
📘 Meaning : One’s own or someone else’s daughter.
📝 Example :
他们有一个女儿。
Pinyin: Tāmen yǒu yīgè nǚ’ér.
🔹 Breakdown :
他们 (tāmen) – they
有 (yǒu) – have
一个 (yīgè) – one
女儿 (nǚ’ér) – daughter
📘 Full Meaning : They have a daughter.
12. 女朋友 (nǚpéngyǒu) – Girlfriend (full term)
📘 Meaning : The full term for “girlfriend,” often used when introducing someone seriously.
📝 Example :
这是我的女朋友。
Pinyin: Zhè shì wǒ de nǚpéngyǒu.
🔹 Breakdown :
这是 (zhè shì) – this is
我 (wǒ) – my
的 (de) – ‘s
女朋友 (nǚpéngyǒu) – girlfriend
📘 Full Meaning : This is my girlfriend.
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