嬢

• Reading: じょう
• Romaji: jou
• Kanji breakdown: 嬢 (jō) — daughter, young woman
• Pronunciation: /d͡ʑoː/

Meaning

Daughter (humble); young lady. A respectful or humble term for a daughter or young woman.

Used as a suffix or standalone noun. As お嬢さん (ojousan), it is a polite way to refer to someone else's daughter or a young woman. As 令嬢 (reijou), it refers to a daughter of a distinguished family. In modern usage, 嬢 also appears in compound words in service industries. The standalone form is relatively formal.

Examples

1. お嬢さんはおいくつですか。 How old is your daughter?
2. 田中さんのお嬢さんは大学生です。 Mr. Tanaka's daughter is a college student.
3. 社長の令嬢がパーティーに来ました。 The company president's daughter came to the party.

Usage Guide

Context: family, polite conversation, honorific speech

Tone: respectful

Origin & History

From the kanji 嬢, which combines 女 (woman) and 襄 (assist/rise). Originally used in Chinese to mean a young woman or daughter, adopted into Japanese with similar meaning.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Upper class