Meaning of 男女
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- male-female
- male and female
How to use 男女
男女 is used for men and women as a pair or group, often in set phrases and formal writing such as 男女平等 (nánnǚ píngděng, gender equality). It also works before a noun, like 男女老少 (nánnǚ lǎoshào, people of all ages and both sexes). Example: 这个班男女人数差不多。(Zhège bān nánnǚ rénshù chàbuduō.) This class has about the same number of boys and girls.
男 (nán) is 田 (field) over 力 (strength), a person doing strength work in the field, and 女 (nǚ) is a picture of a woman. Put them side by side and you get both sexes together: 男女 (nánnǚ), male and female.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the two dots in nǚ and write nu, but 女 is nǚ with the ü sound, not nǔ like 努. Also keep the order 男女; saying 女男 sounds wrong in Chinese even though English sometimes says women and men.
男女 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
男 nán · male · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
女 nǚ · female · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 男女.
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 女儿 | nǚ'ér | daughter |
| 女朋友 | nǚpéngyou | girlfriend |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend |
| 女生 | nǚshēng | schoolgirl; female student |
| 男生 | nánshēng | schoolboy; male student |
| 女孩儿 | nǚháir | erhua form of 女孩[nu : 3 hai2] |
| 男孩儿 | nánháir | erhua form of 男孩[nan2 hai2] |
| 男子 | nánzǐ | a man; a male |
| 女子 | nǚzǐ | woman; female |
| 子女 | zǐnǚ | children; sons and daughters |
Questions about 男女
What does 男女 mean?
男女 (nánnǚ) means "male-female; male and female" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 男女?
男女 is made of 2 characters: 男 (7 strokes), 女 (3 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 男女 an HSK word?
Yes. 男女 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 男女 to say a man and a woman in a relationship?
Yes, in phrases like 男女朋友 (nánnǚ péngyou, boyfriend and girlfriend) or 男女关系 (nánnǚ guānxi, romantic relationship between a man and a woman). Note that 男女关系 often hints at a romantic or even improper relationship, so use it carefully.
How do I say men's and women's in sports or restrooms?
Use 男子 (nánzǐ) and 女子 (nǚzǐ) for sports events, as in 男子100米 (men's 100 meters). Restroom signs usually say 男 and 女 alone, and a mixed event is 男女混合 (nánnǚ hùnhé).