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This hanja is 녀(女).
It originally meant a young unmarried woman, but today it is used broadly to mean “woman” or “female.”
The character started as a pictograph of a woman sitting gracefully with her hands folded and knees bent.
Because it reflects the male-centered views of ancient society, you’ll notice that when this hanja is used as a part of another character, it can sometimes carry negative meanings—but it mostly relates to female identity.
In South Korean pronunciation, there’s a rule called the “Initial Law.” While the original sound is “녀,” and North Korea still keeps it that way, South Koreans change the initial sound to 여. This is why you’ll see the same character pronounced differently depending on its position!
- 여자 (女子) – woman, female
- 여성 (女性) – female, feminine gender
- 여왕 (女王) – queen
- 여신 (女神) – goddess
- 여심 (女心) – a woman’s heart, female sentiment
- 여사 (女史) – madame, Mrs (a respectful title)
- 여인 (女人) – lady, woman
- 처녀 (處女) – unmarried, virgin
- 숙녀 (淑女) – lady, a refined woman
- 미녀 (美女) – beautiful woman, a beauty
- 소녀 (少女) – girl, young girl
- 마녀 (魔女) – witch
- 추녀 (醜女) – ugly woman
- 해녀 (海女) – female diver (traditional to Jeju Island)
- 수녀 (修女) – nun (Catholic)
- 자녀 (子女) – son and daughter
- 효녀 (孝女) – filial daughter, devoted daughter
- 모녀 (母女) – mother and daughter
- 장녀 (長女) – eldest daughter
- 손녀 (孫女) – granddaughter