Translation guide
A person who engages in sexual activity for payment. In Japanese, the most common and neutral term is 売春婦, but many other words exist with different nuances, registers, and historical contexts. The choice depends on formality, gender, and the specific type of sex work.
Referring to a person who sells sexual services in a general, neutral, or formal context.
The standard, neutral term for a female prostitute. It is somewhat formal and can be used in news reports or legal contexts. Not typically used in casual conversation.
She was arrested as a prostitute.
A literary or somewhat dated term for a prostitute. Often used in historical or dramatic contexts.
The protagonist of that novel was a prostitute.
Refers specifically to a street prostitute. Used in sociological or historical discussions.
After the war, street prostitutes increased.
Informal, often derogatory ways to refer to a prostitute, used in everyday speech or subcultures.
A very common slang term for a prostitute, often used derogatorily. Can also be used as an insult for a promiscuous woman. Crude and offensive.
Highly offensive; avoid in polite company.
That woman is a whore.
Post-war slang for a prostitute who served foreign soldiers, especially American GIs. Now dated but still recognized.
Euphemistic phrase meaning 'woman of the night,' implying a prostitute or sex worker. Softer than direct terms.
Terms for prostitutes in specific contexts, such as those working in brothels, online, or in the sex industry.
A common term for a woman working in the 'fūzoku' (sex industry), which includes soaplands, delivery health, etc. More specific than 'prostitute' and often used in job listings or discussions about the industry.
She works as a sex worker three days a week.
Specifically a woman working at a soapland (a type of brothel). Very specific to that context.
Soapland workers need skills.
A woman working for 'delivery health,' an outcall sex service. Common in modern Japan.
Delivery health workers are dispatched to hotels.
Referring to a man who sells sexual services.
The standard term for a male prostitute. Can be used in formal or journalistic contexts.
He makes a living as a male prostitute.
Slang for a male prostitute who serves male clients, often in the gay sex industry. Short for '売り専' (selling exclusively).
He works as a rent boy.
Older or indirect ways to refer to prostitutes, often found in literature or historical contexts.
Historical term for a prostitute, especially in the Edo period's pleasure quarters. Often translated as 'courtesan.'
Courtesans worked in Yoshiwara.
A high-ranking courtesan in the Edo period. Very specific historical term, often romanticized in media.
Archaic term for a beautiful prostitute or courtesan, literally 'castle-toppler.' Rarely used outside historical texts.
Direct terms like 売春婦 or 売女 can be very blunt and offensive. In many situations, it's better to use euphemisms like 夜の仕事 (night work) or 水商売 (water trade, though this is broader) if you must refer to the profession indirectly.
She does night work.
売春婦 is the legal/social term for a prostitute, implying illegal or stigmatized activity. 風俗嬢 is the industry term for a woman working in the legal sex industry (fūzoku), which often involves acts that are technically not defined as prostitution under Japanese law. Use 風俗嬢 when referring to workers in soaplands, delivery health, etc., and 売春婦 for street prostitution or illegal acts.
She was forced into prostitution.
Uses the noun 売春 (prostitution) rather than a term for the person.
He visited a prostitute.
Common euphemism; 風俗 implies sex services without directly saying 'prostitute.'
パンパンは占領期の象徴だった。
Panpan were a symbol of the occupation period.
She works as a lady of the night.
花魁道中は観光名物だ。
The oiran procession is a tourist attraction.
傾城の美女と謳われた。
She was praised as a beauty who could topple a castle.