女おな子ご

お

な

ご

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

woman; girl

dated term

Dated term for a woman or girl; now often replaced by 女性 or 女の子. Still used in historical settings, dialects, or for old-fashioned flavor.

Kanji

女woman, female
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

女じょ性せいN4
女性 is the neutral, modern standard word for 'woman', while おなご is an archaic term now used mainly in dialects or historical settings.
女おんなの子こN5
女の子 is the common modern word for 'girl', whereas おなご is old-fashioned and rarely heard in everyday speech.

Opposites

男おとこN5
男 means 'man', the direct opposite of おなご's 'woman/girl' sense, though おなご itself carries an archaic flavor that 男 does not.

Don't confuse with

女じょ子しN3
The same kanji 女子 read じょし is the standard modern word for 'woman/girl' (e.g. in school or sports contexts), while read おなご it is a dated, dialectal term with an old-fashioned feel.

Counted with

人にん
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
名めいN2
More formal than 人 — used for headcounts in reservations, staff lists, and announcements (5名様).

Word family

オナゴダケ
Simon bamboo (Pleioblastus simonii)

Written forms

女おな子ごUsage3%
Standard kanji form for this reading; distinct from 女子 read じょし.
おなごUsage86%
Kana spelling is common in modern writing to avoid confusion with じょし.
オナゴUsage11%

Etymology

The native reading おなご developed from おんなご, “woman or girl,” and is attested from the medieval period. 女子 is a semantic spelling; older related forms include おみな and おみなご.