女 nǚ

HSK 1 Writing L2

女 is an ancient drawing of a woman kneeling with her arms folded.

Ancient scribes drew a person kneeling with arms crossed to mean 'woman'. The modern character no longer looks like that pose, but the picture is the root.

kneeling figure a woman with arms folded

Common Usage & Traps

  • 女儿 (nǚ'ér) — daughter
  • 女的 (nǚ de) — female person / the female one
  • 女医生 (nǚ yīshēng) — female doctor
  • 女老师 (nǚ lǎoshī) — female teacher
  • 女学生 (nǚ xuésheng) — female student
  • 我女 我女儿

    女 alone does not mean daughter. Use the fixed word 女儿.

  • 她是女 她是女的

    女 cannot stand alone as a noun. Add 的 to say she is female.

  • 女的医生 女医生

    女 comes before a job word and sticks to it. Adding 的 sounds redundant.

Can you say 她是女 to mean 'she is female'?

No. 女 can't stand alone as a noun. Say 她是女的.

女 is a building block, not a standalone noun. If you point at someone and say 她是女, it sounds like a bare label. Add 的 to make 女的, which means 'female person'. So 她是女的 is natural. Also 我是女的 works.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
I am female我是女的我是女
She is female她是女的她是女
Are you female?你是女的吗?你是女吗?

Why is daughter 女儿, not 女儿子?

女儿 is one fixed word for daughter. The 儿 is not 'son' here.

Don't split 女儿 into 女 + 儿子. The 儿 in 女儿 works like a family-word ending, not the word for son. 儿子 means son, but 女儿 means daughter. So 我女儿 is correct, and 我女儿子 is nonsense.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
My daughter我女儿我女儿子
His daughter他的女儿他的女
Son and daughter儿子和女儿儿子和女

Can you say 女的医生 for 'female doctor'?

Say 女医生, not 女的医生. 女 + job word is a tight label.

女医生, 女老师, and 女学生 are standard. Here 女 comes before a job word and sticks to it. Adding 的 makes 女的医生, which sounds redundant and clumsy. If you need a full sentence, say 她是女医生.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
Female doctor女医生女的医生
Female teacher女老师女的老师
She is a female doctor她是女医生她是女的医生

Appears in Stories 10 stories

《是不是好朋友?》 Are We Good Friends? A Dinner Debate
HSK 1 ~4 min read 254 chars
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In this HSK 1 story, two old friends from Britain and China share a meal with their girlfriends. A simple question about who pays leads to a clever and funny solution.

  • 他的 女朋友 是英国人。

  • 我的 女朋友 也是英国人。

  • 我的 女朋友 说:“对!

  • 我们两个今天请 女朋友 吃饭。

《我的家人(2)》 My Family Members
HSK 1 ~2 min read 141 chars
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This playful rhyme helps you learn family words in Chinese. Practice saying who's who with simple questions and answers!

  • 小朋友,我再问你,这个 女孩子 ,她是谁?

  • 这个 女孩子 是我姐。

  • 那个 女孩儿 ,她是谁?

  • 那个 女孩儿 是我妹。

《我们一家》 A Family Dinner at the Restaurant
HSK 2 ~6 min read 401 chars
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In this warm dialogue, a parent introduces their family at a restaurant. A teacher gently corrects common mistakes about family words and names, making it perfect for HSK 2 learners.

  • 旁边是我的小 女儿 ,小花。

  • B:你只有一个儿子,所以不要说“大儿子”,也不要说“小 女儿 ”,就说“ 女儿 ”就好。

  • 那是我的儿子和 女儿 。

《一家人》 A Family of Six: Little Bao and His Green-Eyed Kids
HSK 2 ~4 min read 256 chars
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This simple HSK 2 story introduces a warm family of six. Follow Little Bao and his British wife as they raise their two green-eyed children, each with their own personality.

  • “小包先生”的家有六口人,他的爸妈、儿子、 女儿 和他们两口子。

  • 小包的 女儿 七岁,儿子五岁。

  • 朋友们叫他的 女儿 “包小妹”,叫他儿子“小小包”。

《女朋友的苹果手机》 The Girlfriend's Apple Phone
HSK 3 ~3 min read 314 chars
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This humorous dialogue follows a man who spends all his savings on his girlfriend's Apple phone and a lucky number, leaving him broke. A fun read for HSK 3 learners.

  • 我给 女朋友 买了一个苹果,现在没钱了。

  • A:哈哈,给 女朋友 花钱,难过什么?

《医生问问题》 Doctor Asks Questions
HSK 1 ~1 min read 60 chars
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Before you read: this is a short rhyming poem. You will meet a doctor who asks about seeing and hearing. Try to spot words you already know!

  • 女士 和男士,男生和 女生 ,先生和学生。

《找“大白”》 Looking for Big White
HSK 1 ~5 min read 361 chars
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A young man helps an old man look for his cat. But the real surprise is why the old man wanted to find the cat. Read on to learn about kindness and friendship.

  • 老先生对白天明说:“我八十岁了,儿子和 女儿 都在北京工作,我一个人住在这里。

《一两件新衣服》 New Clothes and Good Friends
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.

  • 六七个男学生,七八个 女 同学,八九个好朋友。

《谢谢您请》 The Day 'Please' Stayed Home
HSK 1 ~2 min read 132 chars
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Everyday greetings are a gateway to natural Chinese. Practice time-based hellos like “早上好” and “晚安,” learn to address teachers with the respectful “您,” and see how families skip formalities to speak warmly at home.

  • 先生、 女士 也说“您”。

《去上海》 Train or Plane to Shanghai
HSK 2 ~2 min read 151 chars
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Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.

  • 那个 女孩儿 是小商,是小习,习有朋的 女朋友 。

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