女 meaning and stroke order
Female; woman; daughter
How to write 女, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 女
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- female
- woman
- daughter
- old variant of 汝[ru3]
How 女 is built
Pictographic character. A woman turned to the side.
How to remember 女
女 (nǚ) is a picture of a woman turned to the side. Picture the crossing strokes as her folded arms and legs as she kneels or sits.
女 marks something as female and usually appears in compounds rather than alone, such as 女人 (nǚrén) woman, 女儿 (nǚ'ér) daughter, and 女士 (nǚshì) lady. Example: 她是我的女朋友。(Tā shì wǒ de nǚpéngyou.) She is my girlfriend.
Common mistake: Learners often type nu3 and get 努 (nǔ) instead, because 女 needs the ü sound, typed as nv3 on most pinyin keyboards. Also watch the stroke order: the first stroke is the bent stroke on the left, not the long horizontal.
Common words with 女
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman | HSK 1 |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter | HSK 1 |
| 女朋友 | nǚpéngyou | girlfriend | HSK 1 |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student | HSK 1 |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] | HSK 1 |
| 女子 | nǚzǐ | woman; female | HSK 3 |
| 子女 | zǐnǚ | children; sons and daughters | HSK 3 |
| 女士 | nǚshì | lady; madam | HSK 4 |
| 美女 | měinǚ | beautiful woman | HSK 4 |
| 男女 | nánnǚ | male-female; male and female | HSK 4 |
| 孙女 | sūnnǚ | son's daughter; granddaughter | HSK 4 |
| 女性 | nǚxìng | woman; the female sex | HSK 5 |
| 儿女 | érnǚ | children; sons and daughters; a young man and a young woman (in love) | HSK 5 |
| 妇女 | fùnǚ | woman | HSK 6 |
女 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 女
Learning 女 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 女
How many strokes are in 女?
女 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 女 mean?
女 (nǚ) means female; woman; daughter. A common word with it is 女人 (nǚrén), meaning "woman".
How do you pronounce 女?
女 is pronounced nǚ, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 女 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 女 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 女 appear inside so many other characters?
As a component, 女 often hints at meanings related to women, family, or relationships, as in 妈 (mā) mother, 姐 (jiě) older sister, and 好 (hǎo) good. Spotting it can help you guess what a new character is about.
What is the difference between 女人, 女士, and 女生?
女人 (nǚrén) is a plain word for woman. 女士 (nǚshì) is polite, like lady or Ms., and is used in formal address. 女生 (nǚshēng) means female student but is also used casually for young women in general.