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Kotomora

雌

feminine, female

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

  • シ

Kun'yomi

  • め-
  • めす
  • めん

Meaning

雌 centers on the female side of a pair or species: feminine, female, or the female of animals.

Most common words using 雌

20 of 37
  • 雌めす
    N2

    female (animal, plant)

  • 雌雄しゆう

    male and female (animals); the two sexes

  • 雌牛めうし

    cow; heifer

  • 雌しべめしべ

    pistil

  • 雌伏しふく

    lying low (and awaiting one's chance); biding one's time; submitting at first (to then strike later)

  • 雌花めばな

    female flower; pistillate flower

  • 雌め

    female

  • 雌ねじめねじ

    female screw; nut

  • 雌の万年草めのまんねんぐさ

    Sedum rupifragum (species of stonecrop)

  • 雌の狐めすのきつね

    bitch fox; vixen

  • 雌コネクタめすコネクタ

    female connector

  • 雌伏雄飛しふくゆうひ

    biding one's time building up strength till finally grasping an opportunity to launch out and flourish

  • 雌刈萱めがるかや

    Themeda triandra var. japonica (variety of kangaroo grass)

  • 雌子牛めすこうし

    female calf; young heifer; heifer calf

  • 雌性しせい

    female

  • 雌性ホルモンしせいホルモン

    female hormone

  • 雌性発生しせいはっせい

    gynogenesis

  • 雌性配偶体しせいはいぐうたい

    female gametophyte; megagametophyte

  • 雌日芝めひしば

    southern crabgrass (Digitaria ciliaris)

  • 雌松めまつ

    Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora); Japanese umbrella pine; tanyosho pine

Explore all words using 雌 →

Study

Etymology

雌 combines 此 (here, this) and 隹 (bird), originally referring to a female bird. The 此 component likely contributed a phonetic element while also suggesting 'this one' to distinguish the female.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 此 looks like a stop sign (止) beside a sitting person (匕), and the right side 隹 is a bird. Picture a female bird stopping here to rest: 雌 is the feminine one.

Reading mnemonic

For シ, imagine a female bird sitting on a sea (シ) shore: sea -> シ, and the bird is the female of the pair.