10 Kanji with 女 (じょ)｜Learn Easily with the 'Woman' Radical
We have compiled 10 frequently used kanji with the 'woman' (女) radical at the JLPT N4 level.
Associating meanings around a common radical makes memorizing kanji much easier.
Discover how meanings related to family relationships and women expand across different characters.
How this bundle was curated
All items at a glance
| Kanji | On/Kun Reading | Main Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 女 | じょ / おんな | woman |
| 好 | こう / すき | to like |
| 安 | あん / やすい | peaceful, cheap |
| 姉 | し / あね | older sister |
| 妹 | まい / いもうと | younger sister |
| 始 | し / はじめる | to begin |
| 妻 | さい / つま | wife |
| 娘 | じょう / むすめ | daughter, young woman |
| 婦 | ふ | lady, woman |
| 嫌 | けん / きらう | to dislike |
Item by item
Kun: おんな
On: じょ
woman
This is the basic kanji and radical representing a woman.
Kun: すき
On: こう
to like / good
The meaning 'good' or 'to like' comes from the image of a woman (女) and a child (子) together.
Kun: やすい
On: あん
peaceful / cheap
A woman (女) inside a house (宀) gave rise to the meaning 'peaceful', which later expanded to mean 'cheap' in terms of price.
Kun: あね
On: し
older sister
A combination of woman (女) and city/market (市), it refers to an older female sibling.
Kun: いもうと
On: まい
younger sister
A combination of woman (女) and a not-yet-grown tree (未), it means 'younger female sibling'.
Kun: はじめる
On: し
to begin
From the image of a woman (女) bearing a child (台), it came to mean the 'beginning' of all things.
Kun: つま
On: さい
wife
Derived from the image of a woman combing her hair with her hand, it came to mean 'wife'.
Kun: むすめ
On: じょう
daughter / young woman
A combination of woman (女) and good (良), it means 'young woman' or 'one's own daughter'.
Kun: ふ
On: ふ
lady / woman
Combining woman (女) and broom (帚), it represents a married woman doing housework. It is mainly used in compound words (e.g., 夫婦, 婦人).
Kun: きらう
On: けん
to dislike / unpleasant
A combination of woman (女) and concurrent/simultaneous (兼), it represents the feeling of inner reluctance or dislike.
Practice with examples
How to decide when unsure
- Be careful with kanji representing family members (姉, 妹, 妻, 娘), as the forms often change depending on whether you are talking about your own family or addressing someone else's family (e.g., お姉さん, 妹さん, 奥さん, 娘さん).
- Kanji with the woman (女) radical are frequently used not only for women and family relationships but also to express human emotions or states, such as 好 (to like), 嫌 (to dislike), and 安 (peaceful).
Common mistakes
The meaning changes completely depending on whether the right component is 市 (city/market) or 未 (not yet). You can easily memorize 妹 (younger sister) by associating it with a 'not yet (未) fully grown sibling'.
Mini quiz
Which of the following correctly pairs the kanji's meaning and reading?
One-line summary
Kanji containing the 'woman' (女) radical are deeply related to family relationships, emotions, and states. Try to memorize them efficiently by keeping the radical's meaning in mind!
FAQ
What is the difference between 娘(むすめ) and 女の子(おんなのこ)?
娘 (むすめ) is mainly used to refer to 'one's own daughter', while 女の子 (おんなのこ) refers to a 'girl' based on gender and age group, regardless of family relationship.
Do 妻(つま) and 婦(ふ) mean the same thing?
Both carry the nuance of a married woman, but 妻 (つま) is mainly used as a standalone noun meaning 'my wife'. 婦 (ふ) is generally used in combination with other kanji to form words, such as 夫婦 (married couple) or 主婦 (housewife).
