Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 娘 | musume | [mɯ̟sɨme̞] (narrow) | |
| お嬢さん | ojōsan | honorific | |
| いと | ito | archaic |
The term 娘 (musume) is used to denote a female offspring. In colloquial speech, it can also be used more broadly to refer to a young woman or a girl, even if she is not your biological offspring.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on whether you are speaking about your own family or someone else's. Use the neutral 娘 when referring to your own daughter. To show respect when referring to someone else's daughter, use the honorific form お嬢さん. The archaic form いと is also present in the language.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
娘 is a neutral or humble term used for your own daughter. お嬢さん is an honorific form used to show respect to others. The term お嬢様 is traditionally used to refer to a daughter from a well-to-do or noble family.
How does it change in a sentence?
娘 is a noun and does not change its form for pluralization. The context or counters in a sentence determine if there is more than one daughter.
How do you pronounce it?
musume
Did you know?
- The word 娘 (musume) is a linguistic fossil of the act of creation, combining a verb meaning 'to beget' with the word for 'female'.
- The honorific お嬢さん uses both an honorific prefix お and a suffix さん simultaneously to maximize the level of respect.
- The kanji character for the second half of お嬢さん is 嬢, which specifically designates an unmarried woman.
Examples in context
- これは娘です。This is my daughter.This sentence is useful for introducing your daughter using 娘.Tatoeba #2213091 by bunbuku, translation #61484 by CK
- 娘が大好きだ。I love my daughter.This sentence is useful for expressing affection for your daughter using 娘.Tatoeba #8625655 by small_snow, translation #1855062 by Spamster
- 娘をとつがせた。I married off my daughter.This sentence is useful for describing the act of marrying off a daughter using 娘.Tatoeba #1531146 by verbum, translation #1531137 by CS
- 彼女は一人娘です。She is an only daughter.
- あなたの娘さんは元気ですか？How is your daughter doing?
- さくらちゃんの娘Sakura's daughter
- かわいい娘さんCute daughter
- 202 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about their families.
- 蓮 Ren結衣さんは子供がいますか？Yui-san wa kodomo ga imasu ka?Yui, do you have any children?
- 結衣 Yuiはい、娘が一人います。Hai, musume ga hitori imasu.Yes, I have one daughter.
- 蓮 Renそうなんですね。おいくつですか？Sō nan desu ne. O-ikutsu desu ka?I see. How old is she?
- 結衣 Yui娘はもう五歳になります。Musume wa mō gosai ni narimasu.My daughter is already turning five.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “daughter” translations and entries 娘, お嬢さん, いと, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries いと, お嬢さん, 娘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
