The Meaning of kanojo [彼女] In Japanese

彼女
かのじょ
Romaji: kanojo N5

What does 彼女 mean?

Translation and Meaning

she, her, girlfriend

Definition

What does 彼女 mean? It is a pronoun used to refer to a female person, meaning she or her; in casual conversations it can also denote a girlfriend.

Type

pronoun (代名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • third-person reference to a female person in everyday speech
  • romantic sense as girlfriend in dating contexts
  • contextual ambiguity possible in conversation, sometimes requiring clarification via name or context

Etymology

彼 with kun’yomi kano meaning ‘that person’ or ‘this one’, 女 with on’yomi jo meaning ‘woman’; together, 彼女 is read kanojo and used to denote a female individual in modern Japanese

Origin

Appeared in classical Japanese as a compound meaning ‘that woman’; over centuries its use broadened into the standard third-person feminine pronoun in modern Japanese, with the casual sense of girlfriend arising from romantic contexts.

Composition

  • 彼 = that person or demonstrative
  • 女 = woman

Usage

Used in casual speech to refer to a known woman or to a girlfriend; in formal writing or when clarity is needed, use the person’s name or a neutral term like その人. Examples: 彼女は今日来た; 彼女と話すのが好きです
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: the word literally says ‘that woman’ (彼 means that, 女 means woman); remember kanojo by picturing pointing to a woman and saying ‘that woman’ in a casual conversation.

Variations

  • she/her — kanojo
  • girlfriend — garufurendo
  • that woman (demonstrative) — ano onna

Example Phrases

  • 長い待ち時間で彼女は苦痛に耐えた。
    Nagai machijikan de kanojo wa kutsuu ni taeta.
    She endured pain during the long waiting time.
    Lista:
    • 長い (nagai) – long
    • 待ち時間 (machijikan) – waiting time
    • で (de) – at / during
    • 彼女 (kanojo) – she
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 苦痛 (kutsuu) – pain
    • に (ni) – to / at
    • 耐えた (taeta) – endured
    Core grammar: 苦痛 is a noun meaning distress or pain; in this sentence it appears as 「苦痛に耐える」, meaning ‘to endure pain’.
  • 彼女の一言で私は傷付くのを必死に隠した。
    Kanojo no hitokoto de watashi wa kizutsuku no o hisshi ni kakushita.
    With her one remark, I desperately hid that I was hurt.
    Lista:
    • 彼女 (kanojo) – she
    • の (no) – possessive marker
    • 一言 (hitokoto) – one word/remark
    • で (de) – by
    • 私 (watashi) – I
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 傷付く (kizutsuku) – to be hurt
    • の (no) – nominalizer
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 必死に (hisshi ni) – desperately
    • 隠した (kakushita) – hid
    In this sentence, 「傷付く」 means ‘to be hurt’ (emotionally). It is used intransitively and combined with のを to form 傷付くのを隠す, which means ‘to hide that one is hurt.’
  • 今朝、彼女は私に意地悪を言った。
    Kesa, kanojo wa watashi ni ijiwaru o itta.
    This morning, she said something mean to me.
    Lista:
    • 今朝 (kesa) – this morning
    • 彼女は (kanojo wa) – she (topic)
    • 私に (watashi ni) – to me
    • 意地悪を (ijiwaru o) – a mean thing
    • 言った (itta) – said
    In this sentence, 「意地悪」 means ‘mean/spiteful’; it is a noun used with を to indicate the thing said, as in 「意地悪を言う」 meaning ‘to say something mean’.
  • 彼は 純情だ から、 彼女の 相談を いつも 真剣に 聞く。
    Kare wa junjou da kara, kanojo no soudan o itsumo shinken ni kiku.
    He is pure-hearted, so he always listens to her concerns seriously.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 純情だ (junjou da) – is pure-hearted
    • から、 (kara,) – because
    • 彼女の (kanojo no) – her
    • 相談を (soudan o) – consultation
    • いつも (itsumo) – always
    • 真剣に (shinken ni) – seriously
    • 聞く。 (kiku.) – listen
    Here 「純情」 functions as a na-adjective meaning ‘pure-hearted’; it describes a person’s character and takes the copula だ.
  • 彼女は強い意志で毎日運動を続ける。
    Kanojo wa tsuyoi ishi de mainichi undou o tsuzukeru.
    She continues to exercise every day with a strong will.
    Lista:
    • 彼女 (kanojo) – she
    • は (wa) – (topic marker)
    • 強い (tsuyoi) – strong
    • 意志 (ishi) – will/determination
    • で (de) – by/with
    • 毎日 (mainichi) – every day
    • 運動 (undou) – exercise
    • を (wo) – direct object marker
    • 続ける (tsuzukeru) – to continue
    意志 is a noun meaning ‘will’ or ‘determination’; here used with で as in 「強い意志で」 to indicate the manner of the action.
彼女