The meaning of kanojo (彼女、かのじょ) and how to use it

This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word mainichi, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, related expressions and more!

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What does kanojo mean?

Kanojo (彼女、かのじょ) means she in Japanese. In some cases, it can also take on the meaning of girlfriend.

Let’s look at some examples below.

To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji in the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.

Example sentences using kanojo

Kanojo means she or girlfriend in Japanese.

彼女は英語が得意です。
Kanojo wa eigo ga tokui desu.
かのじょはえいごがとくいです。
She is good at English.

彼女は洋食よりは和食が好きです。
Kanojo wa youshoku yori wa washoku ga suki desu.
かのじょはようしょくよりは和食がすきです。
She likes Japanese food more than western food.

彼女は将来、お母さんになりたいと言っています。
Kanojo wa shourai, okaasan ni naritai to itteimasu.
かのじょはしょうらい、おかあさんになりたいといっています。
She says she wants to become a mother in the future.

Kanojo + no = Her

When you add in the possessive no (の) particle, as in kanojo no (彼女の), the meaning is her.

彼女のお父さんはまだ若く見えます。
Kanojo no otousan wa mada wakaku miemasu.
かのじょのおとうさんはまだわかくみえます。
Her father still looks young

彼女の夢は医者になることです。
Kanojo no yume wa isha ni naru koto desu.
かのじょのゆめはいしゃになることです。
Her dream is to become a doctor.

彼女の家は広くてとても素敵です。
Kanojo no ie wa hirokute totemo suteki desu.
かのじょのいえはひろくてとてもすてきです。
Her house is big and very nice.

Kanojo can also mean girlfriend

Interestingly enough, the Japanese word for she can also mean girlfriend. You could therefore conceivably use kanojo twice in a sentence as follows:

その人はだれですか?
Sono hito wa dare desu ka?
そのひとはだれですか?
Who is that?

彼女は僕の彼女です!
Kanojo wa boku no kanojo desu!
かのじょはぼくのかのじょです!
She is my girlfriend!

In reality though, you should drop the kanojo wa without changing the meaning of your response (see further below for more details).

Here are a couple more of examples featuring kanojo to mean girlfriend.

僕の彼女はよく料理を作ってくれる。
Boku no kanojo wa yoku ryouri wo tsukutte kureru.
ぼくのかのじょはよくりょうりをつくってくれる。
My girlfriend often cooks for me.

俺の彼女は超可愛いぞ!
Ore no kanojo wa chou kawaii zo!
おれのかのじょはちょうかわいいぞ!
My girlfriend is really cute! (casual)

When to use kanojo

Although we have seen that kanojo means she in Japanese, it’s not used anywhere near as often as its English equivalent.

This is because Japanese speakers often omit pronouns when they are understood by the context. For example, the “she” is obvious in the example below and hence omitted:

あの人は何人ですか?
Ano hito wa nanijin desu ka?
あのひとはなにじんですか?
What nationality is she (lit: that person)?

フランス人です。
Furansu jin desu.
ふらんすじんです。
She is French.

Kanojo and politeness

It’s also better to use a person’s name or title when you can. This sounds more natural and it’s also more polite.

I should add that this goes for double when referring to someone of a higher status than yourself (e.g., your boss).

Let’s imagine that your boss is called Sato San, who you are currently talking about to a colleague. In this case, the second sentence is better than the first, where kanojo might sound slightly rude.

この業界では~~彼女の~~レポートが有名です。
Kono gyoukai de wa ~~kanojo no~~ repooto ga yuumei desu.
このぎょうかいでは~~かのじょの~~れぽーとがゆうめいです。
~~Her~~ reports are well-known in this industry.
この業界では佐藤さんのレポートが有名です。
Kono gyoukai de wa Sato San no repooto ga yuumei desu.
このぎょうかいではさとうさんのれぽーとがゆうめいです。
Sato San’s reports are well-known in this industry.

What’s the male equivalent of kanojo?

Kare (彼、かれ) means he in Japanese. Note that kare can also mean boyfriend in casual language, but the proper word is kareshi (彼氏、かれし). There is no alternative casual form for kanojo.

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Rohan

Rohan is a professional Japanese translator and the author behind Tanukiki.com, a blog that offers Japanese language tips and insights on life in Japan.

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