kobieta

Kobieta is a Polish noun meaning an adult female human. It is used to refer to a woman in everyday language and is distinct from terms for girls (dziewczyna) and polite forms like pani in formal address. The word is common, neutral in tone, and appears across a wide range of contexts, including personal, professional, and cultural discourse.

In Polish, kobieta is a feminine noun and is declined across cases. Singular: nominative kobieta, genitive kobiety, dative kobiecie, accusative kobietę, instrumental kobietą, locative kobiecie, vocative kobieto. Plural: nominative kobiety, genitive kobiet, dative kobietom, accusative kobiety, instrumental kobietami, locative kobietach, vocative kobiety. The plural form kobiety is also used for both nominative and accusative in the plural.

Kobieta can be combined with adjectives and other modifiers to describe roles, ages, or statuses, such as młoda kobieta (young woman) or silna kobieta (strong woman). In polite or formal contexts, speakers often use pani or pani/pan as a respectful address instead of repeating kobieta.

Culturally and socially, the term appears in literature, media, and public discourse to discuss topics related to gender, work, family, and equality. It is a stable, widely understood reference to adult female identity in Polish, without implying marital status or social role by itself. See also: dziewczyna, pani, żona, matka.