女の子
onna no ko[õ̞nːa̠no̞ko̞]
The Japanese phrase for 'little girl' is 女の子 (onna no ko). Wiktionary also lists 女児 (joji).
Meaning: a female child (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 女の子 | onna no ko | [õ̞nːa̠no̞ko̞] (narrow) [me̞no̞ko̞] (narrow) |
| 女児 | joji | [d͡ʑo̞ʑi] (narrow) |
The word 女の子 is used to refer to a girl. In Japanese, the word for 'girl' (女の子) does not inherently imply 'little' as it does in English.
Which one should you use?
女の子 is the common way to say 'girl', whereas 女児 is a formal, technical term used to mean 'female child'. 女児 is specifically used in medical, statistical or official contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
女の子 is considered informal and can sometimes feel archaic. For a neutral and formal tone, you might use 少女. For highly technical, legal or statistical contexts, use 女児.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural 'girls', you can add the suffix たち to the noun to form 女の子たち.
How do you pronounce it?
onna no ko
Did you know?
- The term 少女 for 'girl' is heavily associated with the 'shōjo' manga genre, which historically focused on the idealized inner worlds and romantic fantasies of adolescent girls.
- Depending on the context, calling a young woman an 女の子 can be seen as a compliment about her youth or a condescending remark about her immaturity.
- The word 子 in 女の子 originally meant 'child' in a general sense, but in modern Japanese, it is often used as a suffix to make a word sound more endearing or cute.
Examples in context
- アンは小さな女の子です。Ann is a little girl.This sentence is useful for using the form 女の子 to identify someone.Tatoeba #229481 by small_snow, translation #66840 by CN
- あの可愛らしい女の子を見て。Look at that pretty little girl.This sentence is useful for using the form 女の子 to describe someone.Tatoeba #9871067 by small_snow, translation #68713 by CK
- その女の子は先生に質問をした。The little girl asked a question of her teacher.This sentence is useful for using the form 女の子 to describe an action performed by a girl.Tatoeba #209376 by KK_kaku_, translation #46637 by CK
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Daito are at a park.
- 美咲 Misakiあそこに可愛い女の子がいるね。Asoko ni kawaii onnanoko ga iru ne.There is a cute little girl over there, isn't there?
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ。いい笑顔をしているな。Hontō da. Ii egao o shite iru na.You're right. She has a great smile.
- 美咲 Misakiあの女の子、誰の子かな？Ano onnanoko, dare no ko kana?I wonder whose child that little girl is?
- 大翔 Hirotoあそこに親がいると思うよ。Asoko ni oya ga iru to omou yo.I think her parents are over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “little girl” translations and entries 女の子, 女児, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
