Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2012

As kanji (漢字) is a man’s domain (漢 = kan = man), no wonder ideograms with 女 (onna, woman) as their radical tend to contain coded judgments on the gender. Here are a few examples. NB: the kanji have multiple readings, so please see the source for more information.

始 beginning

女+胎 womb

妊 pregnancy

女+任 responsibility

嫁 bride/ 婿 groom

女+家 house

婦 housewife

女+帚 broom

姆 wet nurse

女+母 mother

姑 mother-in-law

女+古 old

奴 slave

女+又 right hand

娼 prostitute

女+昌 to prosper, sing

妓 geisha, entertainer

女+技 skill

孀 widow

女+霜 frost

嬲 to tamper

女 + two men

嫐 to flirt

女 + a man with two women

姦 noisy, rape

女 + two more women

媚 to flirt

女 +眉 eyebrow

如 follow instructions

女 +口 mouth

Source: http://kanji.sljfaq.org/mr.html