# Terminology for the female reproductive area, or, What do YOU like to call it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2001, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355 "2001-05-14T01:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/21 "2001-05-14T03:30:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Totoro \* > \*\*Manhole. > ::D&R:: \*\* Then I guess a Maxi Pad would be a Manhole cover. ---
**Author:** ![trose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@trose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trose)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/22 "2001-05-14T03:36:03Z")
How come “vulva” never caught on in general usage? It’s got the right sound quality (sounds like velvet), not too clinical, not too coarse … but you just don’t hear it much. At least I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/23 "2001-05-14T03:44:02Z")
**trose** , you beat me to it . . . _vulva_ is the right word. Calling the whole thing “vagina” is a misnomer, because the vagina is only the inside part, which you can’t even see from the outside unless you get gynecological. What you can see is the vulva. My favorite word for it is **yoni**. I’m into Tantric yoga. **Yoni** expresses not only its feminine beauty, softness, and allure, but also its eternal spiritual mystery of the Divine Feminine. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/24 "2001-05-14T03:49:41Z")
Joy Treasure Beauty ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/25 "2001-05-14T04:41:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by trose \* > \*\*How come “vulva” never caught on in general usage? It’s got the right sound quality (sounds like velvet), not too clinical, not too coarse … but you just don’t hear it much. At least I don’t. \*\* It has the right sound, but it is too tough to say, IMO. It also sounds a lot like Volvo, and somehow that seems wrong to me. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/26 "2001-05-14T04:51:54Z")
Getting a little historical here: I’ve often found the term “Ground Zero” funny. Just remember that I have “Fat Man” and the other guy has “Little Boy”. 😃 But that’s just me. . . Tripler I’ve got your kilotonnage in my pants. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/27 "2001-05-14T05:17:19Z")
You could always get literary and use the medieval slang _belle chose_ (literally “beautiful thing”)… 😃 I have a friend who objects to the word “vagina” on the terms that it’s Latin for “sheath” and thus implicitly requires the female genitalia to be defined by the male. We once tried to come up with a better term but couldn’t think of one (and this discussion took place in public, so we got some strange looks). “Pussy” is kinda icky-sounding, IMHO. Jomo, I know a guy named Yoni (well, it’s really Jonathan, but still). I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to look at him the same way again… :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Soda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Soda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soda)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/28 "2001-05-14T07:32:04Z")
I love **mega the roo’s** name for it; _twicker_. I think it’s brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/29 "2001-05-14T07:58:51Z")
Home. As in “Honey, I’m…” ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/30 "2001-05-14T08:12:09Z")
I agree with the OP. Men have long had the luxury of naming their member a variety of cute, inoffensive, or humourous sounding names: Willy, John Thomas, Johnson, Dick, One-eyed Trouser Snake, etc. But all the names for the female organ (probably thought up by men) have tended to be ugly, harsh and dirty sounding: c\*\*t, twat, gash, etc. **Pussy** is a breath of fresh air (uh oh, please quote me mercifully 😃 ). I think most women don’t object to it, and guys like using it (oops. Done it again). It’s fun, not really obscene, and universally understood. Pussy gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/31 "2001-05-14T08:52:20Z")
I really dislike “pussy”… but I also dislike cutesy or descriptive terms for it, too. Probably more because I hate the type of writing that has to involve them… it just sounds beyond stupid to me. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/32 "2001-05-14T09:09:30Z")
A guy I knew in high school liked to call it “furburger.” He liked to say “furburger” over and over at lunch, in fact. He was a weird dude. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/33 "2001-05-14T09:19:01Z")
Flower. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/34 "2001-05-14T12:00:25Z")
Mnementh: > [@](#): > > Aye, I got that Cal, but like I said I’m more looking for specific bits than the whole thing. Thanks, though. And thank _you_, too. But I just want to mention that people seem to be bringing up exactly the same terms we used in the earlier discussion. (Including “belle chose”, which I brought up earlier). I’m all in favor of clever circumlocutions and obscurities over the vulgar: Belle Chose Quondam Quim Twichet Inn of Abu Mansour Sesame Seed Merryland Jade Gate Rosebud ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/35 "2001-05-14T22:52:08Z")
I’m gonna go along with what someone had referred to their genitals in another thread as their “pretty pink parts” because that’s a good description of the female reproductive area. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/36 "2001-05-14T23:02:32Z")
DJ at The Edge calls it “sugarplum” ---
**Author:** ![Mnementh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mnementh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mnementh)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2001, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/37 "2001-05-14T23:26:00Z")
I’m rather enjoying ‘belle chose’ at the moment. Hey, I could even use that one in public. As for the rest of it, I’m beginning to doubt that I’m going to get any words for parts. Oh well; I’ll have to make due. Continue discussing, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/38 "2001-05-15T00:39:16Z")
I pretty much stick with pussy, though I’ll sometimes call it “the velvet vice”. And no one’s mentioned “cooter” ?yet? ---
**Author:** ![tubagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@tubagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tubagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/39 "2001-05-15T03:07:10Z")
It is my “cookie” ---
**Author:** ![Rock-n-Rolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/22d042/32.png) [@Rock-n-Rolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock-n-Rolga)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2001, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355/40 "2001-05-15T03:33:23Z")
I’m another who can’t stand ‘pussy’ as it sounds too trite and trashy to me. Yet I like the Swedish word “kisse” (pronounced KEY-seh) although it literally means…pussy. It must be the sound of the words I like or dislike, not the meaning. Go figure. Well, that and the use of “pussy” as an insult by some to males who are percieved as acting less than full-on macho. To me, that just takes what little sexiness the word had right outta there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terminology-for-the-female-reproductive-area-or-what-do-you-like-to-call-it/65355.md?page=3)