美少女（びしょうじょ、bishoujo）
- pretty girl

The Japanese word 美少女 （びしょうじょ） translates to "beautiful girl" or "pretty girl" in English. It refers to a young female, typically an adolescent, who is considered attractive. The term emphasizes the physical beauty of the girl. It's often associated with a youthful appearance and a certain level of innocence or charm. The emphasis is on outward appearance.

⚫︎彼女は典型的な美少女だ。 Translation: She is a typical beautiful girl. ⚫︎アニメには多くの美少女キャラクターが登場する。 Translation: Many beautiful girl characters appear in anime. ⚫︎その映画の主人公は、とても魅力的な美少女だった。 Translation: The protagonist of that movie was a very charming beautiful girl.

This word is commonly used to describe young girls in various contexts, including everyday conversation, anime, manga, and other forms of media. You can use it when talking about someone you find attractive or when discussing a character in a story. It's important to be mindful of the context and audience, as the term can sometimes be viewed as objectifying.

The word 美少女 is written using kanji and reading in hiragana. ⚫︎Kanji: 美少女 ⚫︎Reading (Hiragana): びしょうじょ There is only one standard way to write this word. The okurigana (the hiragana that follows the kanji) are fixed, as it is a compound word.

⚫︎ 可愛い女の子 (kawaii onnanoko): Cute girl ⚫︎ きれいな女の子 (kirei na onnanoko): Pretty girl ⚫︎ 美形 (bijkei): Beautiful person (can be used for both genders, though less frequently for girls) ⚫︎ 美幼女 (biyoujo): beautiful young girl (used for younger girls than 美少女)

There aren't direct antonyms, as beauty is subjective. However, words that describe a lack of beauty could be considered opposites. ⚫︎ While 不細工 (busaiku - ugly) could be seen as an antonym, it's not a direct one. ⚫︎ There are no common antonyms.

彼女は美少女として雑誌の表紙を飾った。 ・Translation: She graced the cover of the magazine as a beautiful girl. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a girl's appearance and how it led to her being featured on a magazine cover.

そのアニメは美少女たちが活躍する物語です。 ・Translation: That anime is a story in which beautiful girls are active. ・Explanation: This sentence explains the content of an anime series. It highlights the main characters and suggests an action-packed story.

The word 美少女 is a compound word. It's formed from two kanji: ⚫︎美 (bi) which means "beauty" or "beautiful." ⚫︎少女 (shoujo) which means "young girl." Therefore, it literally means "beautiful young girl." The combination of these two kanji creates the specific meaning.