meisje
/ˈmɛi̯.ʃə/neuter
The English word "girl" is translated into Dutch as meisje. Wiktionary also lists meid.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Ways to say it
| Dutch | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| meisje | /ˈmɛi̯.ʃə/ | neuter |
| meid | /mɛi̯t/ | feminine |
Both meisje and meid refer to a young female person.
Which one should you use?
meisje is a neuter noun, while meid is a feminine noun.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of meisje is meisjes.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of meisje is /ˈmɛi̯.ʃə/. The stress is on the first of two syllables.
Did you know?
- Because meisje is a neuter noun, you use the article het instead of de, even though it refers to a female person.
- The word meid is a doublet of maagd, meaning they both evolved from the same ancient root but took on different meanings over time.
- While meisje is the standard word, you might hear the slang term wijf used for a girl or woman, but be careful as it can be a very strong and rude insult.
Examples in context
- Wie is dat meisje?Who is this girl?This sentence is useful for asking who a specific meisje is.Tatoeba #699641 by martinod, translation #58453 by CK
- Ik zie een meisje.I see a girl.This sentence is useful for stating that you see a meisje.Tatoeba #6623022 by Raizin, translation #5147565 by CarpeLanam
- Ik ben een meisje.I am a girl.This sentence is useful for identifying oneself as a meisje.Tatoeba #8192479 by PaulP, translation #2363944 by kerbear407
- Laten we een leuke film kijken, meisjes!Let's watch a nice movie, girls!
- Dit is mijn zus, een hele leuke meid.This is my sister, a really nice girl.
- 319 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Sophie are at a birthday party.
- LucasWie is dat meisje daar?Who is that girl there?
- SophieDat is een meisje uit mijn klas.That is a girl from my class.
- LucasIs zij een vriendin van je?Is she a friend of yours?
- SophieJa, zij is heel aardig.Yes, she is very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries meisje, meid, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries meid, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
