young woman who has given up on love
Colloquial term for a woman who appears put-together in public but neglects romantic pursuits and personal grooming at home, like dried fish (干物) that looks good but is dried out. Popularized by the manga and drama 'Hotaru no Hikari'.
See also: 干物 (ひもの)
She's put-together at work, but at home she's a dried-fish woman.
干物女の生活は楽だけど、たまには恋愛もしたい。
Life as a dried-fish woman is easy, but sometimes I want romance too.
Compound of 干物 (dried fish) and 女 (woman). The term was popularized by the manga and drama series 'Hotaru no Hikari' (2004–2007), where the protagonist is a 'dried-fish woman'.