女 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its heart, 女 means woman, female, girl. You'll meet it in two roles: standing on its own as the word 女 (おんな, "woman"), and as a building block inside compound words about women and girls (女性 "woman / female," 女子 "girls / women's," 少女 "young girl," 彼女 "she / girlfriend"). It's the natural counterpart to 男 (man), and the two often appear together — for example on signs marking the women's (女) and men's (男) restrooms. Whenever you spot 女 in an unfamiliar word, you can bet it has something to do with girls or women.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | おんな | 女 (woman), 女の子 (girl) |
| kun'yomi | め | 女神 (めがみ, goddess) — less common |
| on'yomi | ジョ | 女性 (woman), 女子 (girls), 少女 (young girl) |
| on'yomi | ニョ | 女房 (にょうぼう, wife) — rare |
Here's a rule of thumb that works for most kanji, not just this one: the kun'yomi (おんな) tends to appear when the kanji stands more or less alone, while the on'yomi (ジョ) shows up inside two-kanji compound words. So 女 by itself is おんな, but 女性 and 女子 switch to ジョ. One important word to watch is 彼女 (かのじょ, "she / girlfriend"), where 女 still takes the ジョ on'yomi — so the rule holds even there.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 3, written in a flowing order — a slanting stroke down through the middle, then the long sweeping curve, and finally the horizontal stroke across. It looks tricky at first, but with three strokes it comes quickly with a little practice.
- Radical: 女 is its own radical, the "woman" radical (おんな). It usually sits on the left side of other kanji, where it keeps its shape, and it signals that the kanji relates to women, family, or relationships. You'll see it in 好 (to like — a woman 女 and a child 子 side by side) and 姉 (older sister), among many others.
Recognizing this radical is genuinely useful: meet a new kanji with 女 on the left and you can already guess it's connected to women or family.
Common words using 女
Notice the reading split in action: the lone word 女 and 女の子 take おんな, while every compound (女性, 彼女, 女子, 少女) flips to ジョ. That's the rule of thumb above, working exactly as advertised.
Example sentences
あの女の人はヤッタンの先生です。
あの おんなの ひとは ヤッタンの せんせいです。
That woman is Yattan's teacher.
女 — the kun'yomi おんな reading, used when the word stands alone.
モチのクラスには女子が二十人います。
モチの クラスには じょしが にじゅうにん います。
There are twenty girls in Mochi's class.
女子 — the on'yomi ジョ reading, as in compound words.
弟は「あの女の子はだれ？」と聞きました。
おとうとは「あの おんなのこは だれ？」と ききました。
My little brother asked, Who is that girl?
女の子 (おんなのこ) keeps the kun'yomi おんな, just like the standalone 女.
Quick recap
- 女 = woman / female; 3 strokes; it's the "woman" radical itself.
- おんな when it stands alone (女, 女の子); ジョ in compounds (女性, 女子, 少女, 彼女).
- The 女 radical on a kanji's left hints "woman / family" — as in 好 (like) and 姉 (older sister).
- It pairs naturally with 男 (man); look for them together on signs and labels.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 女 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 女 in 女 vs 女性?
On its own, 女 is the kun'yomi おんな ('woman'). In 女性 it's the on'yomi ジョ (女性 = じょせい, 'woman / female'). As a rule, compounds take the on'yomi.
How is 女 read in 彼女?
In 彼女 (かのじょ, 'she / girlfriend') the 女 takes the on'yomi ジョ. It's a very common N5 word, so it's worth memorizing as a set.
How many strokes does 女 have?
女 has just 3 strokes and is also the 'woman' radical, which appears on the left of related kanji like 好 (to like) and 姉 (older sister).
What does the 女 radical tell me?
女 is the 'woman' radical. When it sits on the left of another kanji, it usually signals the kanji relates to women, family, or relationships — a handy clue for guessing meanings.