Primarily used in compounds or as a suffix (e.g., 女性, 長女). As a standalone noun, it is somewhat literary or formal; in everyday speech, 女性 or 女の人 is more common.
She is the eldest daughter of three sisters.
This university has a high proportion of female students.
One of the 28 lunar mansions is called 'Girl'.
In French, 'fille' is a feminine noun, sometimes abbreviated as 女 in dictionaries.
woman; female · feminine gender
she; her · girlfriend
woman; girl
actress; female actor
men and women; both sexes
queen · female champion
beautiful woman
witch; sorceress
virgin; maiden · virgin; untouched; unspoiled · maiden; first; debut
female clothing; cross-dressing (by a man)
princess; daughter of a king or queen
you (honorific, to a woman) · noblewoman; lady
little girl; young girl
eldest daughter; first-born daughter
girl; baby girl · schoolgirl; girl pupil
second daughter
female doctor; woman doctor
they (female); them (female)
lady; refined woman · (female) pervert
sons and daughters; children · girl; young woman
female (professional); woman (in a field)
wicked woman; evil woman · ugly woman
girls' college; girls' academy
lady; distinguished woman · Ms.; Mrs.; Miss
empress
saint; holy woman
imperial princess
schoolgirl; female student
female line; matrilineal
prostitute; courtesan
The kanji 女 is a pictograph of a woman. The reading じょ is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi, used in compounds. The standalone use as a noun is less common than the native reading おんな.