女 — “woman” in Japanese

Grade 1じょ, にょ, おんな

Radical ⼥ · radical 38 The building block this kanji is filed under

“woman” in Japanese is 女, read jo, nyo, onna (じょ, にょ, おんな). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 女の子 (girl).

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What does 女 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	女
Meaning	woman
Readings	じょ, にょ, おんな
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	女の子 (girl)

How to read 女

女 is read jo (じょ) or nyo (にょ) or onna (おんな) depending on the word.

Words with 女

女性じょせい
彼女
乙女
淑女
女の子

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Kanji read the same way as 女

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28