少女

• 読み: しょうじょ
• ローマ字: shoujo
• 漢字の分解: 少 (shou) — few, little, young; 女 (jo) — woman, female
• 発音: /ɕoː.dʑo/

意味

Young girl; maiden. A girl roughly between childhood and young adulthood.

A noun referring to a girl typically between the ages of about 7 and 17. More literary and formal than 女の子. Commonly appears in literature, manga genres (少女漫画 = shoujo manga), and formal descriptions. Contrasts with 少年 (boy/youth). Often carries a slightly literary or romantic nuance.

例文

1. 公園で少女が楽しそうに遊んでいた。
2. 少女漫画を読むのが好きだ。
3. あの少女は毎朝ここを通る。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, manga, formal descriptions

トーン: literary

起源と歴史

Composed of 少 (few, little, young) and 女 (woman, female). The combination specifies a young or small female, i.e., a girl.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal