BeginChinese
every character tells a story
The ancient form
Today

· neoi5

woman; female

Where it comes from

A figure kneeling gracefully with arms crossed — the posture of dignity in the Shang court, where everyone, kings included, knelt on mats rather than sat on chairs. 女 appears inside some of the warmest characters in the language: a woman with a child is 好 — "good".

A piece of culture

The character for "good"
Combine 女 (woman) with 子 (child) and you get 好 (hǎo) — good, well, fine. It is the first character most learners meet, hiding inside 你好 (nǐ hǎo, "hello"). Three thousand years ago someone decided that a mother with her child was the very picture of goodness, and the language has agreed ever since.

Use it in a real word

女儿
nǚ'ér ·
daughter
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