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woman / female

3 strokes · 女 (woman radical) · HSK 1

Where 女 comes from

女 is a picture of a person kneeling with hands folded in front — the respectful seated posture of ancient times. You've already met 女 inside 好 (woman 女 + child 子 = good): a mother with her child was the very image of everything being right.

女 in Chinese culture

女 as a radical appears in a huge family of characters: 好 (good), 妈 (mom), 她 (she), 姐 (older sister), 妹 (younger sister), 安 (peace — a woman under a roof). It pairs with 子 to make 女子 (female) and 男 (male — 田 field + 力 strength, the one who works the fields).

Example

女人 nǚrén — woman

她是女人。
Tā shì nǚrén.
She is a woman.

How to remember it

A figure kneeling gracefully with folded hands — a WOMAN.

See 女 on the left of a character and it's almost always about women or relationships: 妈 (mom), 姐 (sister), 她 (she), 婚 (marriage), 好 (good).

Same sound, different tones

Words unlocked by 女

女人 nǚrén
woman
女子 nǚzǐ
female / woman
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