How to Write 女 (nǚ) — Meaning “female; woman”

Imagine a woman doing a curtsy: the first stroke is her head bowing, the second stroke is her arm extended, and the third stroke is her leg bent. This pose helps you recall the character's meaning of 'female' or 'woman'.

Start with the left-slanting stroke (丿), then the right-slanting stroke (㇏) crossing it, and finally the horizontal stroke (一) that balances the character. A common mistake is making the top strokes too separate, so keep them connected at the center.

女 is a standalone character meaning 'woman', while 奴 adds a 又 (right hand) component, meaning 'slave' or 'servant'. 奶 includes 女 plus 乃, meaning 'milk' or 'breast'. Visually, 女 has fewer strokes and a simpler, open shape.

女 is used in words for female roles, like 女儿 (daughter) and 女朋友 (girlfriend). In modern culture, it appears in signs for women's restrooms and gender forms. Note that 女 can be used respectfully in titles like 女士 (Ms.), but avoid using it alone to refer to a woman in informal speech as it may sound blunt.

Common words containing 女 include: 女儿 (nǚ ér) — daughter; 女生 (nǚ shēng) — female student; girl; 女朋友 (nǚ péng yǒu) — girlfriend.