勇敢な女性
The Japanese phrase for "brave woman" is 勇敢な女性.
Which one should you use?
While 勇敢な女性 specifically emphasizes courage in the face of danger, 強い女性 is often used more broadly to mean a 'strong woman' in terms of character or resilience, where 強い means strong.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term 女性 is a formal and polite way to say 'woman', whereas 女 can sometimes sound blunt or even derogatory depending on the context.
Did you know?
- In certain traditional contexts, a woman of great courage might be described using the term 肝が据わっている (kimo ga suwatte iru), which literally means 'one's liver is settled'.
- While 勇敢な女性 is a literal description, Japanese history honors the onna-musha, who were women that fought as samurai. These women were trained in the naginata polearm to defend their homes and castles.
- In modern Japanese, the word 強い ('strong') used in 強い女性 can sometimes imply a woman who is 'too' independent or assertive, which was historically viewed as a negative trait in traditional gender roles.
Examples in context
- あの女性はすごく勇敢なんだよ。That woman is really brave, you know.
- 彼女はすごくガッツがある女性だよ。She is a woman with a lot of guts.
- 彼女は強くて勇敢な女性です。She is a strong and courageous woman.
- 彼女は勇敢な女性ですね。She is a brave woman, isn't she?
- 彼女は勇敢な女性です。Kanojo wa yuukan na josei desu.She is a brave woman.
- あの勇敢な女性に憧れます。Ano yuukan na josei ni akogaremasu.I admire that brave woman.
- 物語には勇敢な女性が登場します。Monogatari ni wa yuukan na josei ga toujou shimasu.A brave woman appears in the story.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a movie character.
- 蓮 Renあの主人公は勇敢な女性だね。Ano shujinkou wa yuukan na josei da ne.That protagonist is a brave woman, isn't she?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、とても強くてかっこいいです。Hai, totemo tsuyokute kakkoii desu.Yes, she is very strong and cool.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さんも彼女のようになりたい？Yui-san mo kanojo no you ni naritai?Do you want to be like her too, Yui?
- 結衣 Yuiもちろんです、頑張ります！Mochiron desu, ganbarimasu!Of course, I will do my best!
