Girl in Japanese: shoujo, joshi, or on’nanoko, explained in detail

How to say “girl” in Japanese

There are multiple ways to say “girl” in Japanese. In this blog post, however, I will focus on the three of them: “shoujo”, “joshi”, and “on’nanoko”. I will explain these words in detail based on their kanji expressions and also how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “girl” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “shoujo”
• “Shoujo” in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “girls” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “joshi”
• “Joshi” in kanji
  • Example #2: how to use “joshi”
• Definition and meaning of “on’nanoko”
  • Example #3: how to use “on’nanoko”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “shoujo”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shoujo”.

• shoujo – 少女 (しょうじょ) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This word sounds formal and polite, so would be suitable for formal situations. To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Shoujo” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in the word, “shoujo”.

• 少 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘little’, ‘small’, ‘tiny’, or such in Japanese.
• 女 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘woman’, ‘women’, ‘female’, or such in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “shoujo” literally means ‘little woman’. This kanji concept seems to be in line with the meaning, ‘girl’.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shoujo” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “shoujo” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “girls” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after the plural pronoun, “kanojo tachi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a verb or adjective to make it polite. Probably this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is used after “shoujo” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “shoujo”. In this example, it works as a plural noun to mean “girls” in Japanese. When we want to say “girl” or “girls” in a polite way in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.

Definition and meaning of “joshi”

Next, then, let me explain the definition and meaning of “joshi”.

• joshi – 女子 (じょし) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’.

Basically Japanese native speakers use this word to mean ‘girl’ or ‘girls’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, however, they use it to mean ‘young woman’ or ‘young women’. And it still sounds formal. So, this word can cover more situations than “shoujo”.

To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

“Joshi” in kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “joshi”.

• 女 : the same as used in “shoujo”. This kanji means ‘woman’, ‘women’, ‘female’, or such in Japanese.
• 子 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘child’, ‘children’, ‘kid’, or ‘kids’ in Japanese. This can also be found in other words like “kodomo“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “joshi” literally means ‘woman child’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meanings, ‘girl’ and ‘young woman’, but still very close, I think.

Then, let me explain how to use “joshi” through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to use “joshi”

Below are the particle and new words used in the example sentence.

• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is used after “joshi” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• mou – もう : an adverb meaning ‘already’ in Japanese.
• mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘restaurant’, ‘bar’, or such depending on the situation and context. In the example, it works to mean ‘restaurant’.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after “mise” to make the object word in the sentence.
• de – 出 (で) : one conjugation of the verb, “deru”, which means ‘to come out’, ‘to leave’, or such. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite. In the example, this is used after “de” to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after the verb phrase, “de mashi”, to make its past tense form, “de mashi ta”.

This is a typical usage of “joshi”. In this example, it works as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’. When we want to say “girl” or “girls” in Japanese, this word would be a good option. It can cover more situations than “shoujo”.

Definition and meaning of “on’nanoko”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “on’nanoko”.

• on’nanoko – 女の子 (おんなのこ) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’.

This word consists of the same two kanji characters as “joshi”, but “の” is inserted between them. It works to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word. In this case, therefore, it works to limit the meaning of ‘child’ with the meaning of ‘woman’. So, the very basic concept of this word can be interpreted as ‘woman child’, namely ‘girl’.

Then, let me explain how to use “on’nanoko” through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use “on’nanoko”

Below are the particle and new words used in the example sentence.

• wo – を : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is used after “on’nanoko” to make the object word in the sentence.
• sagashi – 探し (さがし) : one conjugation of the verb, “sagasu”, which means ‘to look for’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “sagashi” to make its te form, “sagashi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “sagashi te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to look for’.

This is a typical usage of “on’nanoko”. This sounds more casual than the other two. When we want to say “girl” or “girls” in casual situations, therefore, this word would be a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the three ways to say “girl” in Japanese. Let me summarize them as follows.

• shoujo – 少女 (しょうじょ) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘little woman’. This kanji concept can be interpreted as ‘girl’.
• joshi – 女子 (じょし) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘woman child’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meanings, ‘girl’ and ‘young woman’, but still very close, I think.
• on’nanoko – 女の子 (おんなのこ) : a noun meaning ‘girl’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘girls’. This sounds more casual than the other two. When we want to say “girl” or “girls” in casual situations, therefore, this word would be a good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.