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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Princess" are 姫、媛.
姫
姫 (hime) is the princess — the woman radical 女 beside 臣: a lady of the court. In the old tales every heroine is a hime: Kaguya-hime born from bamboo, Ori-hime the weaver star of Tanabata. The word reaches beyond royalty to anything dainty and beloved — 姫リンゴ is a miniature apple; a spoiled daughter is teased as an 姫様. Japan’s most beautiful castle is 姫路城, “Himeji”, the White Heron — carrying the character in its name.
媛 (hime / en) is the graceful beauty — 才媛 is an accomplished woman, and 愛媛 (Ehime) prefecture is literally “lovely princess”, named from the old chronicles. It is a Jinmeiyō character prized in girls’ names.
The formal rank, by contrast, is 王女 (a king’s daughter) or 皇女 (an emperor’s); 妃 is the married-in princess-consort. But the character with the fairy-tale in it is 姫.
姫 is charming and fully positive — princess, fairy-tale heroine, the beloved. Its only nuance is a teasing one: called of an adult it can wink at being pampered. 媛 is subtler and reads as "graceful, gifted woman". Both are safe; neither will be misread.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.