女 (nǚ): female

Meanings

1 female
2 woman

Characters

女

nǚ

female; woman

Examples

女同学都很聪明。

Nǚ tóngxué dōu hěn cōngming.

The female classmates are all very smart.

这是女厕所。

Zhè shì nǚ cèsuǒ.

This is the women's restroom.

Tips

history

女 is a pictograph of a kneeling figure — it originated from ancient depictions of women. The character is a common radical in many characters.

usage

女 appears as a radical in dozens of characters: 妈 (mom), 姐 (sister), 好 (good), 她 (she).

Components

pictograph

女 nǚ

woman; female

Self-component. 女 is itself Kangxi radical 38. Oracle-bone forms draw a kneeling person with arms folded forward, a posture used across early East Asian iconography for women. The strong visual signature — the crossed legs of stroke 1 against the curved body of stroke 0 — makes it one of the most reliable component shapes to spot, anchoring 妈, 姐, 好, 妻, 婚 and an enormous female-related family.