女性

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

Pronunciation

Noun

女性

  1. (often attributive) the female sex; female
    女性衛生用品／女性卫生用品  ―  nǚxìng wèishēng yòngpǐn  ―  feminine hygiene products
  2. woman; female
    月經期女性／月经期女性  ―  yuèjīngqī nǚxìng  ―  menstruating women

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(じょ)性(せい) • (josei) ←ぢよせい (dyosei)? (counter 人)

  1. a woman (adult female person)
    • 1993 December 15 [1990 March 25], Sasaki, Noriko, 動(どう)物(ぶつ)のお医(い)者(しゃ)さん (動(どう)物(ぶつ)のお医(い)者(しゃ)さん) [The Veterinarian], 36th edition, volume 3 (fiction), 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.
    • 2015 March 10 [2014 December 10], Yūji Shiozaki, “第百五拾参話 [Chapter 153]”, in 一騎当千 [One vs. Thousands], 2nd edition, volume 23 (fiction), Tokyo: Wani Books:
      これで興(こう)福(ふく)寺(じ)学園を処分する理由が出来ました　多勢で一人の女性を暴行した罪は重く…その償いは死
      Kore de Kōfukuji Gakuen o shobun suru riyū ga dekimashita Tazei de hitori no josei o bōkō shita tsumi wa omoku… Sono tsugunai wa shi
      I now have a justification to dispose of Kōfukuji Academy. Ganging up on a lone woman, that shall not go unpunished… And the punishment is death.
  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 nrjoX sjengH, “woman; female + character; gender”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.[1]

Largely superseded in everyday Japanese by josei above.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

女(にょ)性(しょう) • (nyoshō) ←によしやう (nyosyau)?

  1. (rare, dated) a woman
Synonyms

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  4. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, 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”).

Vietnamese
chữ Hán Nôm in this term
女性

Adjective

女性

  1. chữ Hán form of nữ tính (“feminine”).
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