お嬢さん
Meaning in Englishsomeone else’s daughter, young lady
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
What does お嬢さん mean? It is a polite term used to refer to a girl who is not the speaker's daughter, often used by adults in service contexts or when addressing a child of someone else.
Main meanings
- Polite address for a young girl who is not the speaker's daughter, common in everyday polite speech.
- When speaking to a parent, can refer to their daughter in a courteous register.
- Used by staff or professionals in service or formal interactions to address a female customer or resident.
How to use it
In formal or polite contexts, used by adults to refer to a girl who is not their own daughter, or when addressing a customer, guest, or a child of someone else; not common in casual speech among close friends; the related お嬢様 is used by staff addressing a mistress's daughter or someone of high status.
Variants and close terms
- お嬢様 — young Miss, highly formal, ojōsama
- 娘さん — daughter, neutral register, musume-san
- お嬢ちゃん — informal, affectionate variant for a young girl, ojōchan
Composition
- お prefix used to show respect when attached to nouns
- 娘 means daughter or a young woman
- さん a polite suffix after names or titles indicating respect
Etymology
お is a respectful prefix attached to nouns; 娘 means daughter or young woman; さん is a polite suffix derived from 様 (sama). The pronunciation ojōsan results from combining these elements.
Word class
noun (honorific compound)