How to Say "My Girlfriend" in Japanese

彼女

kanojo[ka̠no̞ʑo̞]

In Japanese, 'my girlfriend' is expressed as 彼女 (kanojo).

The term 彼女 is a common way to refer to a female partner in a romantic relationship.

Which one should you use?

The word 彼女 is ambiguous and can mean both 'she' and 'girlfriend' depending on the context of the conversation.

kanojo

The term 彼女 was shaped by Western influence during the Meiji era to provide a Japanese equivalent for the English pronoun 'she'.
Japanese has several words for 'partner' that lack a gendered equivalent, such as 恋人 'koibito', which can mean 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' without specifying gender.
In many social situations, Japanese speakers avoid using the word 彼女 to refer to their partner, instead using the person's name or relationship terms like 'partner'.

彼女を愛してる。
I love my girlfriend.
This sentence is useful for expressing love for your 彼女.
Tatoeba #11903833 by small_snow, translation #9975213 by shekitten
彼女は私の恋人だ。
She is my girlfriend.
This sentence is useful for stating that someone is your 彼女.
Tatoeba #89313 by bunbuku, translation #312168 by CK
彼女に捨てられた。
My girlfriend dumped me.
This sentence is useful for describing being dumped by your 彼女.
Tatoeba #12299305 by small_snow, translation #1384376 by CK
彼女はすごく可愛い。
My girlfriend is really cute.
彼女は私の一番大切な恋人です。
She is my most precious sweetheart.
65 more sentences on Tatoeba

Ren is introducing his partner to his friend Misaki.

蓮 Ren

こちら、私の彼女です。
Kochira, watashi no kanojo desu.
This is my girlfriend.
美咲 Misaki

はじめまして！きれいな方ですね。
Hajimemashite! Kireina kata desu ne.
Nice to meet you! She's very beautiful.
蓮 Ren

ありがとう。彼女は料理が得意なんだ。
Arigatou. Kanojo wa ryouri ga tokui nanda.
Thanks. My girlfriend is good at cooking.
美咲 Misaki

それはすごいですね！
Sore wa sugoi desu ne!
That's amazing!

Sources

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