girlfriend

A girlfriend is a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship with another person.

The term girlfriend can have several meanings:

• The female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship with a male. In this sense the term is generally used to describe a male's courting partner or "lover" -- someone he is in love with -- and is used by all age groups. For example, "His girlfriend went to the cinema with him."

• When used by a heterosexual girl or woman, the term "girlfriend" usually denotes a close female friend and has no sexual or romantic connotation.

• When used by a homosexual or bisexual woman, the term "girlfriend" is almost always used to refer to a female that is involved in a romantic and/or sexual relationship with that person.

In Japan, where many English words have entered the common vernacular (especially among teenagers), a "girlfriend" (ガールフレンド) is a term which does not have any romantic connotations. Rather, it is any female friend. For example, a Japanese boy calling a girl his "girlfriend" implies no romantic involvement between the two. The proper way to refer to one's female romantic partner is kanojo (かのじょ/彼女), a word which also means she or her (in the objective case). The same situation applies to the word "boyfriend" (ボーイフレンド).

See also

• Boyfriend
• Significant other
• Courtship

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