女性

Chinese
female; woman; daughter sex; nature; suffix corresponding to ‑ness or ‑ity
simp. and trad.
(女性)		 女 性

Pronunciation

Noun

女性

  1. (often attributive) female sex; female
  2. woman

Antonyms

Derived terms

See also

Japanese

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
女 性
じょ
Grade: 1		 せい
Grade: 5
on’yomi

Spelling repurposed from nyoshō below during the Meiji period (1868–1912), using the relatively newer kan'on readings of the characters.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

女性 (hiragana じょせい, rōmaji josei, historical hiragana ぢよせい)

  1. a woman (adult female person)
    • 1993 December 15 [Mar 25 1990], Sasaki, Noriko, 動どう物ぶつのお医い者しゃさん [The Veterinarian], volume 3 (fiction), 36th edition, Tokyo: Hakusensha, →ISBN, page 19:
      年 (とし)頃 (ごろ)の女 (じょ)性 (せい)が自 (じ)分 (ぶん)の腸 (ちょう)なんか見 (み)ていていいのだろうか
      Toshigoro no josei ga jibun no chō nan ka mite ite ii no darō ka
      Is it okay for a woman of marriageable age to stare at her own guts?
    • 1999 August 26, “誕たん生じょうの天てん使し [Angel of Birth]”, in BOOSTER 4, Konami:
      女 (じょ)性 (せい)のおなかに命 (いのち)が宿 (やど)った事 (こと)を知 (し)らせてくれると言 (い)われている。
      Josei no onaka ni inochi ga yadotta koto o shirasete kureru to iwarete iru.
      Legend has it that it can tell you when a woman gets with child.
    • 2000 January 27, “アルラウネ [Alraune]”, in Vol.7, Konami:
      花 (はな)の中 (なか)の女 (じょ)性 (せい)が毒 (どく)花 (か)粉 (ふん)をまき散 (ち)らす。近 (ちか)づいてはいけない。
      Hana no naka no josei ga doku kafun o makichirasu. Chikazuite wa ikenai.
      A flower-dwelling woman who spreads poisonous pollen. Never get anywhere near her.
  2. (biology, grammar) the feminine gender

Synonyms

Antonyms
See also

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
女 性
にょ
Grade: 1		 しょう
Grade: 5
on’yomi

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 女性 (MC ɳɨʌX siᴇŋH, “woman; female + character; gender”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.[1]

Largely superseded in everyday Japanese by josei above.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

女性 (hiragana にょしょう, rōmaji nyoshō, historical hiragana によしやう)

  1. (rare, dated) a woman
Synonyms

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
  4. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Korean
Hanja in this term
女性

Noun

女性 • (yeoseong) (hangeul 여성)

  1. Hanja form? of 여성 (“woman”).
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