Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 女 (nǚ) depicts a kneeling woman with crossed arms, representing the traditional posture of women in ancient China. Originating from oracle bone script over 3,000 years ago, it evolved from a pictorial representation of a woman in a respectful kneeling position to its current more abstract form. The character fundamentally means 'woman' or 'female' and appears in many compounds related to femininity, such as 母亲 (mother), 女孩 (girl), and 婚姻 (marriage). Arrived in Japan: The character 女 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, introduced alongside other Chinese characters through cultural exchange with Korea and China. It was adopted into Japanese as 'onna' (woman) and became part of the Japanese writing system, where it continues to be used with the same meaning and similar pronunciation in compound words.