musume

Musume is a Japanese noun written with the kanji 娘. It primarily means daughter, referring to a female child of a family. It can also denote a young girl or a young woman, especially in informal or affectionate speech. The term is commonly used to indicate kinship within a family as well as a more general sense of youth and femininity.

In everyday use, phrases such as uchi no musume mean “my daughter,” while musume-san is a polite way to refer to someone else’s daughter. In casual settings, a parent might call their own daughter musume-chan or simply use her name. The word can also function metaphorically to describe a younger female member within a group, such as a school, team, or organization, where it conveys a sense of youth and closest association.

Musume appears frequently in Japanese literature, film, and media as a term that signals youth, femininity, and kinship. It is not commonly used as a surname or a given name, though fictional works may employ it in descriptions or titles to evoke certain familial or youthful connotations.

See also: 娘 (kanji).