Japanese word

乙女

Pronunciation

Romajiotome

Meaning

  • noungirl

Example

祭りでは、村の乙女たちが踊ります。matsu ri de wa mura no oto me ta chi ga odo ri ma su

At the festival, the young women of the village dance.

Illustration for 乙女 (girl)

More examples

乙女は家族のために町へ薬を買いに行きます。oto me wa ka zoku no ta me ni machi e kusuri o ka i ni i ki ma su

The girl goes to town to buy medicine for her family.

Core concept

乙女 (otome) presents a girl or young woman as youthful, unmarried, and often associated with purity or romantic beauty.

Common phrases

  • 乙女心oto me kokoro

    a maiden's heart

  • 乙女の恋oto me no koi

    a maiden's love

  • 乙女心をくすぐるoto me kokoro o ku su gu ru

    appeal to a maiden's heart

Similar words

少女shōjo: A young female person, usually before adulthood.
娘musume: A girl or young woman, often in everyday speech.

Definition in Japanese

少女または若い未婚の女性を、やや雅やかに表す語。shō jo ma ta wa waka i mi kon no jo sei o ya ya miyabi ya ka ni arawa su go

Word origin

乙女 (otome) comes from the native Japanese form をとめ (wotome), in which をと (woto, "young") is combined with め (me, "woman").

Usage tips

  • The English expression otome game comes from 乙女 (otome) and uses the word for a game designed around a young female protagonist's romantic choices.

Other meanings

  • maidennoun
  • young ladynoun

Related words

  • 乙女らしいotomerashiimaidenlyi-adjective
  • 乙女らしさotomerashisamaidenlinessnoun
  • 乙女チックotomechikkugirlishna-adjective

Word lists with this word