How to write "Redhead Woman"?

Question

1) Does this mean "redhead woman"? 赤毛の女性 I read that 女性 is quite formal and use more like "female". So is it possible to use it in this context or should I use another word for "woman"?

2) How to write dedication: "For my beloved redheaded woman" (not wife, just woman)

Thanks a lot!!!!

Answer 1

First of all, by far the most common and versatile phrase for dedication would be:

「[Person] に捧{ささ}ぐ」

That was easy, but how to say the [Person] part is not easy and I almost regret that I started writing my answer.

「赤毛{あかげ}の女性{じょせい}」 would not be used by a native speaker. That I know without thinking as a native speaker. It simply sounds too impersonal; It sounds as if you do not know that woman personally (or even dislike her).

In a culture where 99.9% of the people have black hair, we are totally unaccustomed to speaking about hair colors in phrases of dedication. If you must for some reason mention the hair color, you could perhaps say:

「赤毛の君に捧ぐ」 or

「赤毛の [Actual Name + さん] に捧ぐ」

Those two would be equally 'good'.

Using a word for "woman" would not sound very Japanese here. Of course, the big question is: Does this phrase need to please native Japanese speakers?