女朋友
nǚpéngyǒu
The English word 'girlfriend' is translated into Mandarin as 女朋友 (nǚpéngyǒu). Wiktionary also lists 對象 / 对象 (duìxiàng).
Meaning: a female partner in a romantic relationship (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 女朋友 | nǚpéngyǒu | |
| 對象 / 对象 | duìxiàng | gender neutral |
女朋友 refers to a female partner in a romantic relationship. You may also encounter 对象 when referring to a romantic partner or significant other.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 女朋友 literally translates to 'female friend'.
Which one should you use?
女朋友 specifically denotes a romantic girlfriend, whereas the term 朋友 (péngyǒu) alone refers to a platonic friend. In contrast, 对象 is a gender-neutral term used to refer to a romantic partner or 'the one' someone is dating.
How do you pronounce it?
nǚpéngyǒu
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using 男朋友 (nánpéngyǒu) to mean 'girlfriend'. That term specifically means 'boyfriend'.
Did you know?
- The term 女朋友 is believed to be a direct linguistic mimicry, or calque, of the English 'girlfriend' rather than a term that evolved naturally from ancient Chinese.
- To describe the act of becoming a couple and leaving the 'single' state, people use the phrase 脱单 (tuōdān), which literally means 'to shed singleness'.
- The term 对象 (duìxiàng) originally meant 'object' or 'target' in many contexts, but in a romantic sense, it implies the 'object' of one's affection.
Examples in context
- 他没有女朋友。He has no girlfriend.This sentence shows how to express that someone does not have a girlfriend using 女朋友.Tatoeba #432313 by GlossaMatik, translation #284658 by CK
- 我女朋友哭了。My girlfriend cried.This sentence uses 女朋友 to describe an action taken by one's girlfriend.Tatoeba #3701816 by egg0073, translation #7770417 by sharris123
- 你女朋友是谁？Who's your girlfriend?This sentence asks for the identity of someone's girlfriend using 女朋友.Tatoeba #4473139 by yuiyu, translation #2240401 by Hybrid
- 我要向大家介紹一下，這是我的女朋友。Let me introduce you to my girlfriend.
- 我的女朋友工作非常努力。My girlfriend works very hard.
- 58 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Xinyi are talking about a friend's weekend plans.
- 浩然 Haoran他这周末要和女朋友去旅行。Tā zhè zhōumò yào hé nǚpéngyǒu qù lǚxíng.He is going on a trip with his girlfriend this weekend.
- 欣怡 Xinyi真的吗？他们在一起很久了吗？Zhēn de ma? Tāmen zài yīqǐ hěn jiǔ le ma?Really? Have they been together for a long time?
- 浩然 Haoran大概一年了，他很爱他的女朋友。Dàgài yī nián le, tā hěn ài tā de nǚpéngyǒu.About a year, he loves his girlfriend very much.
- 欣怡 Xinyi那太好了，真令人羡慕。Nà tài hǎo le, zhēn lìng rén xiànmù.That's great, I'm really envious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girlfriend” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 女朋友, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
