A word between boy/girl and man/woman? [duplicate]

My problem is this; the words “boy” and “girl” denote youth (at least to me), while “man” and “woman” denote more of an adult. While I am aware of just adding “young” before “man” or “woman”, but that feels clunky and too formal, so is there some intermediary word between the two?

Solution 1:

Lad and lass are somewhat appropriate if writing for a UK audience. Generally a lad or lass isn't a small child but somewhere between ten and twenty or so.

Solution 2:

Youngster is a good word you could use. It is not too familiar, and it has an affectionate ring to it. It means:

a young person, usually an older child:

• The scheme is for youngsters between the ages of ten and 16. (Cambridge)

Youth is another option, and depending on the context it can be quite poetic. It means:

a boy or a young man:

• Gangs of youths were throwing stones and bottles at the police.

As for juvenile, it is too technical, usually used in legal writing.