Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 女巫 | nǚwū | |
| 巫 | wū | |
| 巫婆 | wūpó | |
| 巫人 | wūrén | |
| 神婆 | shénpó | |
| 魔女 | mónǚ | |
| 女妖 | nǚyāo | |
| 師婆 / 师婆 | shīpó | literary |
The term 女巫 is the standard way to translate Western-style fantasy witches, such as characters found in Harry Potter. Other forms exist depending on whether you are describing a folklore-style hag, a magical enchantress or a spiritual medium.
What does it mean word for word?
女巫 is composed of 女, meaning female and 巫, meaning witch or shaman.
Which one should you use?
女巫 is a neutral, standard term. In contrast, 魔女 often implies a character who is more magical, seductive or even demonic, a nuance frequently seen in anime or fantasy literature. If you want to describe a stereotypical, frightening or 'ugly' old witch from folklore, use the more derogatory term 巫婆. For a completely different concept, 神婆 refers specifically to a female spirit medium or a person performing folk religious rituals, rather than a fantasy-style witch.
How do you pronounce it?
nǚwū
Did you know?
- The character 巫 is an ancient pictograph that some historians believe represents a shaman dancing with two flags to communicate with spirits.
- The concept of a shaman, represented by 巫, may have ancient linguistic links to the Thai word for doctor, หมอ.
- While 女巫 is the standard translation for a Western witch, the character 巫 alone historically referred to shamans of any gender.
Examples in context
- 玛丽打扮成一个女巫。Mary dressed up as a witch.This sentence shows how to use 巫 in the context of dressing up.Tatoeba #9959670 by GlossaMatik, translation #5565106 by Hybrid
- 我不是魔女。I am not a witch.This sentence uses 魔女 to negate a character's identity.Tatoeba #796139 by yutaka, translation #794758 by Scott
- 巫师在中国神话中起着重要的角色。(Wūshī zài Zhōngguó shénhuà zhōng qǐzhe zhòngyào de juésè.)Witches play an important role in Chinese mythology.
- 这部小说中的女巫具有不同的特征。(Zhè bù xiǎoshuō zhōng de nǚwū jùyǒu bùtóng de tèzhēng.)The witches in this novel have different characteristics.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a fantasy movie they just watched.
- 俊杰 Junjie那個女巫很可怕。Nàge nǚwū hěn kěpà.That witch is very scary.
- 雨婷 Yuting但我很喜歡那個女巫的斗篷。Dàn wǒ hěn xǐhuān nàge nǚwū de dòupèng.But I really like that witch's cloak.
- 俊杰 Junjie她是用魔法變出那些東西的。Tā shì yòng mófǎ biàn chū nàxiē dōngxī de.She used magic to make those things appear.
- 雨婷 Yuting沒錯，她真是個厲害的女巫。Méicuò, tā zhēn shì gè lìhài de nǚwū.Exactly, she is a very powerful witch.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witch” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 巫, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
