元カノ

• 読み: もとカノ
• ローマ字: moto kano
• 漢字の分解: 元 (former/origin) + カノ (short for 彼女, girlfriend) → ex-girlfriend
• 発音: /mo.to ka.no/

意味

Ex-girlfriend — a former female romantic partner.

元カノ is the casual abbreviation of 元彼女 (moto kanojo). Like 元カレ, it's used freely in everyday conversation and carries no particular stigma. It's the standard way to refer to a former girlfriend in casual settings, and features prominently in Japanese dating discourse, advice columns, and social media discussions.

例文

1. 元カノの誕生日、まだ覚えてるんだよね。
2. 元カノと友達でいるのって実際可能なのかな。
3. 元カノに未練があるうちは新しい恋愛できないよ。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, casual conversation, social media

トーン: casual, matter-of-fact

正しい言い方

• 元カノとはきれいに別れたから、わだかまりはない。 (We broke up on good terms, so there's no bad blood.)
• 元カノのこと、まだ好きなの？ (Do you still have feelings for your ex?)

避ける言い方

• デート中に元カノと比較するのは絶対NG (Comparing your date to your ex-girlfriend is absolutely unacceptable)

よくある間違い

• Using 元カノ to refer to a casual fling — it specifically implies a former official girlfriend (someone you were 付き合っている with)

起源と歴史

Abbreviation of 元彼女 (moto kanojo, former girlfriend). 元 (moto) means 'former/ex-' and カノ is short for 彼女 (kanojo, girlfriend). The standard casual abbreviation.

文化的背景

時代: Modern abbreviation, established since the 1990s

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. The standard casual way to refer to an ex-girlfriend.