What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 女 (woman) and 士 (scholar/gentleman), literally meaning 'female scholar' or 'woman of status'.
Which one should you use?
女士 is more formal and respectful than the common, neutral term for woman, 女人 (nǚrén).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
女士 is a formal way to address or refer to a woman, often used in professional settings, formal letters or public announcements. While it is the equivalent of 'Ms.' regardless of marital status, other terms exist for specific situations: 太太 (tàitai) is similar to 'Mrs.' for married ladies in formal settings, and 夫人 (fūrén) is used to address married ladies in a formal and polite manner. In contrast, for informal situations, you might use 姐 (jiě), which means 'older sister' and is used for women who are older than you or of equal age.
How do you pronounce it?
nǚshì
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the concept of being a 'lady' is tied to the classical 《诗经》 (Classic of Poetry), a historical text used to define the standards of a person's character.
- Depending on the region, referring to a woman as 女士 in a very casual setting might make the speaker sound overly stiff or like they are reading from a script.
- The character 士 within 女士 is the same character used to describe 'gentlemen' or 'scholars' in historical contexts, creating a linguistic parallel between genders in high-status roles.
Examples in context
- 我是位女士。I'm a lady.This sentence is useful for stating your identity as a lady using 女士.Tatoeba #10052375 by GlossaMatik, translation #11170525 by CK
- 那女士容忍了那男人。The lady tolerated the man.This sentence is useful for describing an action performed by a lady using 女士.Tatoeba #5555550 by verdastelo9604, translation #318745 by CM
- 那位女士说土耳其语吗？Does the lady speak Turkish?This sentence is useful for asking a question about a lady using 女士.Tatoeba #2064587 by sadhen, translation #2064580 by halfb1t
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang is introducing a colleague to Yuting at a business event.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，请认识一下这位女士。Yǔtíng, qǐng rènshi yīxià zhè wèi nǚshì.Yuting, please meet this lady.
- 雨婷 Yuting您好，很高兴见到您。Nín hǎo, hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nín.Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you.
- 志强 Zhiqiang这位女士是我们的新经理。Zhè wèi nǚshì shì wǒmen de xīn jīnglǐ.This lady is our new manager.
- 雨婷 Yuting欢迎您加入我们的团队。Huānyíng nín jiārù wǒmen de tuánduì.Welcome to join our team.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 女士, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 女士, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
