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乙女 (おとめ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Meanings 1
noun
young girl ; maiden ; young lady
A somewhat poetic or literary term for a young, unmarried woman. In modern usage, it often carries a pure, innocent, or romantic nuance, and is common in set phrases like 乙女心 (maiden's heart) or 乙女ゲーム (otome game).
Written forms 乙女おとめ Usage 91%
Standard kanji spelling for 'maiden' or 'young girl'. This is the most common written form.
オトメ Usage 5%
おとめ Usage 4%
少女おとめ
Ateji spelling; rarely used for おとめ. Normally read しょうじょ.
ごころ
は
複ふく
雑ざつ
だ
。
A maiden's heart is complex.
the latter, duplicate, strange
Similar words 少しょう 女じょ 少女 is the standard, everyday word for a young girl, while 乙女 is more literary and emphasizes purity or romantic innocence.
処しょ 女じょ 処女 specifically means 'virgin' and can be clinical or technical, whereas 乙女 focuses on the idealized image of a young woman.
Etymology Derived from おと (young, youthful) + め (female). The kanji 乙女 is a jukujikun reading, while 少女 is an ateji spelling.
