ShÅjo, shojo or shoujo (å°'女, shÅjo) is a Japanese word originally derived from a Chinese expression written with the same characters. The Chinese characters (å°' and 女) literally mean young/little and woman respectively. In Japanese, these kanji refer specifically to a young woman approximately 7â€"18 years old. ShÅjo can often be translated with the English word girl.
Etymology
Like most kanji compounds, the term shÅjo is borrowed from Classical Chinese characters. The original term is written as "å°'女", which could be pronounced as shà o nÇš in Mandarin (pinyin romanization), so nyÅ in Korean (McCune-Reischauer romanization), and shÅjo in Japanese (Hepburn romanization).
The earliest surviving written record of the term å°'女 is on the Book of the Later Han, published in China in the 5th century, in Chapter 86, The myth of Yao, referring to young girls.
In the 7th century, the word was introduced into the Japanese language through the adoption of the Chinese-style RitsuryÅ legal system, where it referred to females between the ages of 17 and 20.
Modern usage
In legal settings, shÅjo is a subset of shÅnen (meaning "minor") and refers to any female juvenile who has not reached the age of 20.
In Japan, the word shÅjo has many applications outside of the law. It refers to anything of, for, or about school-age girls. Examples include shÅjo manga, shÅjo culture, shÅjo novels, shÅjo hobbies, and shÅjo fashions, among others.
In popular media
Manga
- Binetsu ShÅjo, a shÅjo manga series by Kaho Miyasaka
- ShÅjo Sect, a Japanese adult manga series written and illustrated by manga author Ken Kurogane.
Music
- BishÅjo Shinri, a song about the psychology of shojo written by Tsunku, published in C-ute's 2007 single Meguru Koi no Kisetsu.
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