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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Girl Meaning, Pronunciation & Common Usage (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：young female child (girl)

girl 🔊

/ɡɜːrl/

A young female child, from birth to around 13 years old.

young female child 🔊

➕

/jʌŋ ˈfiːmeɪl tʃaɪld/

A girl is a young female human, typically from birth to adolescence.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'gyrle', meaning young person; later narrowed to female youth.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'grin' on a girl's face – both start with 'g' and 'r'. Also, 'girl' rhymes with 'twirl' – imagine a girl twirling.

📖 Example

The little girl ran across the park to catch up with her friends. 🔊 The little girl ran across the park to catch up with her friends.

🔗 Collocations

little girl – a young female child

young girl – a girl who is not yet a teenager

girl child – a female child, often used in formal contexts

🔄 Synonyms

child (n.) – a young human being of either sex, but often used for girls in context

lass (n.) – a girl or young woman, used especially in Scottish or Northern English

kid (n.) – a child or young person, informal

🚫 Antonyms

boy (n.) – a male child

adult (n.) – a fully grown person

🌱 Derivatives

girlhood (n.) – the state or time of being a girl

girly (adj.) – characteristic of or suitable for a girl

girlish (adj.) – having qualities traditionally associated with girls

📖 Cultural Story

Originally gender-neutral in Old English, 'girl' meant a young person. By the 14th century, it referred specifically to female children. It appears in Shakespeare and modern phrases like 'girl power'.

Meaning 2：young woman (girl)

girl 🔊

/ɡɜːrl/

A young adult female, typically from her late teens to twenties.

young woman 🔊

➕

/jʌŋ ˈwʊmən/

A girl can also refer to a young adult female, typically from late teens to twenties.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I met a very smart girl in my study group who is majoring in computer science. 🔊 I met a very smart girl in my study group who is majoring in computer science.

🔗 Collocations

college girl – a female college student

career girl – a young woman who is focused on her career

girl next door – an attractive but unpretentious young woman

🔄 Synonyms

young woman (n.) – an adult female in her late teens or twenties

lady (n.) – a polite term for a woman

maiden (n.) – a young woman, especially an unmarried one (archaic)

🚫 Antonyms

man (n.) – an adult male

boy (n.) – a male child or young man

🌱 Derivatives

girlish (adj.) – resembling a girl, often in appearance or behavior

girlfriend (n.) – a female romantic partner or close female friend