孙女
sūn nǚ · HSK 4
granddaughter
👵👧 孙 grandchild + 女 female = granddaughter (son's daughter)
孙 (sūn) means grandchild and 女 (nǚ) means female, so 孙女 literally reads as female grandchild. Chinese distinguishes paternal vs maternal grandchildren; 孙女 is specifically a son's daughter, while a daughter's daughter is 外孙女.
女 — pictograph of a kneeling woman
女 is a pictograph originating in oracle bone script, depicting a person kneeling with arms crossed in front, a posture associated with women in ancient China. Over time the form was simplified and squared off into the modern character. Its core meaning of 'woman' or 'female' has remained stable for over three thousand years.