巫女

Japanese

Wikipedia ^ja

Kanji in this term
巫	女

Wikipedia

巫女（明治神宮）

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 神 (mi, “spirit, god”) +‎ 子 (ko, “child”). The kanji spelling 巫女 appears to be ateji.

Alternative forms

• 神子
• 神巫 (rare)

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [mi.ko̞]

Noun

巫女 (hiragana みこ, romaji miko)

1. An unmarried woman who serves at a Shintō shrine, helping to receive visitors and performing 神楽 (kagura) dances at ceremonies, among other responsibilities.
2. An unmarried woman who serves a deity as a medium to convey oracles.

Usage notes

Using the alternate spelling 神子, a miko could be of either gender, but unmarried young women are by far the most common.

Synonyms

• (shrine dancer):
  • 巫子 (いちこ, ichiko; いたこ, itako)
  • 神楽女 (かぐらめ, kagurame)
• (oracle):
  • 巫, 覡 (かんなぎ, kannagi)
  • 巫子 (いちこ, ichiko; いたこ, itako)
  • 口寄せ (くちよせ, kuchiyose)

Derived terms

• 歩き巫女 (あるきみこ, arukimiko): a wandering miko
• 巫女兵 (みこへい, miko hei): a warrior priestess (fantasy)
• 黒巫女 (くろみこ, kuro miko): a dark priestess (fantasy)
• 口寄巫女 (くちよせみこ, kuchiyose miko): a miko acting as a medium

Etymology 2

From Sinitic 巫女.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA: /hu.zjo/, [ɸɯᵝ.d͡ʑʲo̞]

Noun

巫女 (hiragana ふじょ, romaji fujo, historical hiragana ふぢょ)

1. An unmarried woman who serves a deity as a medium to convey oracles.

Synonyms

• 巫, 覡 (かんなぎ, kannagi)
• 巫子 (いちこ, ichiko; いたこ, itako)
• 口寄せ (くちよせ, kuchiyose)

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Mandarin

simpl. and trad.
巫女

Noun

巫女 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin wūnǚ)

1. a Japanese female shaman