From the perspective of semantics, the female equivalent of son obviously is daughter.
But here's my question: It seems to be some kind of cliché that some people (Priests, wise men, or even real fathers) refer to young boys by "son" when speaking directly to them: e.g., "Son, you know that…"
Simply putting it in the correct female form "Daughter, you know that…" feels wrong, somehow. How would a person often calling young boys "son" call young girls?
What about – Again, we're talking about some kinds of stereotyped clichés here – a priest with an adopted daugther? I could definitely imagine him calling an adopted son son, while I don't know what such a person would call a daugther.
Asking because I am currently practicing my English by writing a small story.
Best Answer
If the person speaking to the girl is not related, a common thing would be to say "young lady, you know that..."
If the speaker is her father, "young lady" may seem too formal. Her dad would probably just call her by her first name, as in "Jenny, you know that..."
This is, of course, assuming the girl is, in fact, a young lady. Usually, when someone refers to another male as "son", that male is a young man or boy. So, that is why I am saying that "young lady" would work for a female here.