娼
prostitute
Readings
On'yomi
- ショウ
Kun'yomi
- あそびめ
Meaning
娼 centers on a woman who engages in sexual activity for payment: a prostitute.
Most common words using 娼
- 娼婦しょうふ
prostitute
- 娼館しょうかん
brothel
- 男娼だんしょう
male prostitute
- 公娼こうしょう
licensed prostitute
- 娼妓しょうぎ
prostitute; harlot
- 娼家しょうか
brothel
- 娼楼しょうろう
brothel
- 廃娼はいしょう
abolition of licensed prostitution
- 私娼ししょう
unlicensed prostitute
- 私娼窟ししょうくつ
brothel; house of ill repute; red-light district
- 芸娼妓げいしょうぎ
geisha and prostitutes
- 芸娼妓解放令げいしょうぎかいほうれい
ordinance liberating all geisha and prostitutes (1872)
- 街娼がいしょう
prostitute; whore; streetwalker
- 高級娼婦こうきゅうしょうふ
high-class prostitute
Study
Etymology
娼 combines 女 (woman) with 昌, which likely contributes the sound and may carry a sense of flourishing or brightness, though the exact semantic link is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
A woman 女 beside 昌, which looks like two suns 日 rising. Picture a woman working under the bright lights of a red-light district.
Reading mnemonic
For ショウ, imagine a showy woman on stage: show -> ショウ, and she is a prostitute putting on a performance.