Japanese word

ウーマン

Pronunciation

Romajiūman

Meaning

  • nounwoman

Example

彼女はキャリアウーマンとして働いています。kano jo wa kya ri a ū ma n to shi te hatara i te i ma su

She works as a career woman.

Illustration for ウーマン (woman)

More examples

彼女は将来、キャリアウーマンとして働きたいと思っています。kano jo wa shō rai kya ri a ū ma n to shi te hatara ki ta i to omo tte i ma su

She hopes to work as a career woman in the future.

Core concept

Refers to an adult human female as a person or social identity.

Common phrases

  • キャリアウーマンkya ri a ū ma n

    career woman

  • ビジネスウーマンbi ji ne su ū ma n

    businesswoman

Similar words

女性josei: A neutral term for an adult human female in general reference.
女onna: An adult female viewed mainly in terms of sex or gender, often in direct or informal reference.
婦人fujin: A formal term for an adult female, especially in official or traditional contexts.

Definition in Japanese

成人に達した女性。sei jin ni tas shi ta jo sei

Word origin

ウーマン (ūman) comes from English woman, which developed from Old English wīfmann, combining wīf, "female person", and mann, "person".

Usage tips

  • In English, calling an adult woman a girl can sound dismissive in some contexts, so woman is the neutral everyday choice for an adult person.

Opposites

Word lists with this word