Shojo

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Shojo (処女?) is the Japanese word for a female virgin. The word is written with two kanji. The first, 処, means "to be [in a place]" and refers to the woman's residing at her family's place. The second, 女, means "woman" or "a female." Together, they describe a woman residing with the family into which she was born, and by extension, an unmarried woman.

The word is also a component of words meaning "first". In this, it is analogous to the English word "maiden." For example, shojosaku (処女作?) (an author's first publication), shojokōkai (処女航海?) (maiden voyage). It also carries the implication of the English expression "untouched by human hands," as in shojoyuki (処女雪?) (virgin snow), shojochi (処女地?) (virgin territory), shojomine (処女峰?) (a virgin peak).

Shojo also appears in these expressions:

[edit] See also

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[edit] Source

This article includes material from 処女 (Shojo) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on January 12, 2008.

[edit] References

  • 岩波国語辞典3版 (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten 1985) p. 538
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