女子 (nǚzǐ) is a neutral, somewhat formal noun meaning 'woman' or 'female', often used in written or categorical contexts (e.g., 女子学校 'women's school'). It is more formal than 女人 (nǚrén), the everyday spoken word for 'woman', and less technical than 女性 (nǚxìng), which is used for biological sex or demographics. Unlike 妇女 (fùnǚ), which refers collectively to adult women with social connotations, 女子 is gender-neutral in register.