女
woman, female
At a glance · 女
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
女字甲骨文象交手跪坐之人形，本义为女性、女子；金文、小篆承之。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
女本义为女性、女子。
Structure
女为象形字，描摹女子敛手跪坐之姿。
At a glance
Pinyinnǚ
Radical女
Strokes3
UnicodeU+5973
Character type象形
Theme人体
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
woman, female
Nü is a pictograph of a woman with folded hands, meaning female and woman.
Français
femme, féminin
Nü est un pictogramme d'une femme aux mains jointes, signifiant femme et féminin.
Español
mujer, femenino
Nü es un pictograma de una mujer con manos juntas, significa mujer y femenino.
العربية
امرأة، أنثى
نǚ رسم تخطيطي لامرأة بيدين مضمومتين، ويعني الأنثى والمرأة.
Русский
женщина, женский
Нюй — пиктограмма женщины со сложенными руками, означает женщину и женский.
Common words
- 女人nǚ rénwoman
- 女儿nǚ érdaughter