noun
business woman
Rare and dated term for a woman engaged in commerce. Not used in contemporary Japanese; the modern term is 女性実業家 or ビジネスウーマン.
古い文献では「商女」という言葉が使われることがある。
In old documents, the word 商女 is sometimes used.
noun
Rare and dated euphemism for a prostitute. Modern Japanese uses terms like 売春婦 or 娼婦.
「商女」は昔、遊女を指す隠語として使われた。
商女 was once used as a slang term for a courtesan.
Direct, modern term for a prostitute, whereas 商女 is a rare historical euphemism.
The kanji 商 (commerce) and 女 (woman) combine to literally mean 'commerce woman'. The historical derivation is uncertain; the term may have arisen as a euphemism in older Japanese texts.