彼女

• Reading: かのじょ
• Romaji: kanojo
• Kanji breakdown: 彼 (hi/kare) — that, he; 女 (jo/onna) — woman, female
• Pronunciation: /ka.no.dʑo/

Meaning

She; her; girlfriend. A third-person feminine pronoun or a term for a romantic partner.

Has two distinct uses. As a pronoun, it means 'she/her' and is used in written and somewhat formal speech to refer to a female third person. In casual conversation, it commonly means 'girlfriend.' Context usually makes the meaning clear. The male counterpart is 彼 (kare), which similarly means 'he' or 'boyfriend.'

Examples

1. 彼女は来年フランスに留学する予定です。 She plans to study abroad in France next year.
2. 彼女ができたらしいよ。 I heard he got a girlfriend.
3. 彼女にプレゼントを渡しました。 I gave her a present.

Usage Guide

Context: relationships, daily conversation, writing

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 彼 (ka/kare, that person) and 女 (jo/onna, woman). Originally a literary pronoun introduced in the Meiji era to translate Western third-person feminine pronouns.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal