俺の女
ore no onna
The Japanese phrase for "my girl" is 俺の女 (ore no onna).
俺の女 is an informal and possessive way for a man to refer to his girlfriend or female partner. It is often used in a territorial sense to denote a man's claim over a woman, a nuance frequently found in fiction such as manga or anime.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ore (a masculine, informal way to say "I"), no (a possessive particle) and onna (woman). Literally, it translates to "my woman".
Which one should you use?
While 俺の女 sounds possessive and rough, the standard and neutral way to say "girlfriend" is 彼女.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of ore makes 俺の女 sound very masculine, rough and highly informal. For a more formal relationship or an official setting, you should use Watashi no koibito to say "my girlfriend".
How do you pronounce it?
ore no onna
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 彼女 ('girlfriend') is also the standard third-person pronoun for 'she'.
- Using the word 女 to refer to a partner in a possessive way is often associated with the 'ore-sama' character archetype, meaning 'my-lord' or 'conceited'.
- While 俺の女 is common in manga and anime, using it in real life can sound alarmingly aggressive or like a line from a yakuza film.
Examples in context
- 二度と俺の女に近づくなよ。Don't you ever go near my girl again.This sentence is useful for seeing how 俺の女 is used in a protective or territorial context.Tatoeba #4147979 by tommy_san, translation #4197954 by Sereptie
Example conversation
Ren is introducing Yui to his friends.
- 蓮 Ren紹介するよ。俺の女の結衣だ。Shoukai suru yo. Ore no onna no Yui da.Let me introduce you. This is my girl, Yui.
- 結衣 Yuiちょっと、言い方ひどいよ！Chotto, iikata hidoi yo!Hey, that's a terrible way to put it!
- 蓮 Renまあいいだろ。Maa ii daro.Come on, it's fine.
- 結衣 Yui全然良くない！Zenzen yoku nai!It's not fine at all!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
