Definition

Noun: * A young woman or young lady: Refers to a female person in the youthful stage of adulthood, typically characterized by elegance and grace. It emphasizes not just age but also a sense of refinement and purity. * A maiden: A literary or formal term for a young, unmarried woman.

Usage Examples

• (She is a beautiful and talented young lady.)
• (The painting depicts a young woman reading by the window.)
• (Her style is very ladylike/maidenly.)

Advanced Usage

• The term carries a classical, poetic, or slightly formal nuance. In everyday modern speech, words like "cô gái trẻ" (young girl) are more common. "Thanh nữ" is often used in literature, formal writing, or to convey a sense of traditional elegance.
• It can function as an adjective in compound phrases or descriptive contexts to mean "maidenly" or "ladylike," as shown in the third usage example.

Variants and Related Words

• Thiếu nữ (n): A young girl, a maiden. Often used interchangeably with "thanh nữ," but "thiếu nữ" can sometimes imply a slightly younger age, akin to "teenage girl."
• Trinh nữ (n): A virgin; a chaste maiden. This term specifically emphasizes chastity.
• Cô gái (n): Girl, young woman. A neutral and very common term.

Synonyms

• Young woman
• Young lady
• Maiden (literary/formal)
• Damsel (archaic/literary)

Related Idioms

• Xuân thì thanh nữ: A poetic phrase describing a young woman in the springtime of her life (her youth).
  • Xuân thì thanh nữ, họ tràn đầy hi vọng. (In the spring of their youth, young women are full of hope.)

noun

1. young girl