also: にょうかん · にょかん
Refers to a female official or attendant serving in a royal or imperial court, especially in historical Japanese contexts.
Court ladies in the Heian period played important roles in the imperial palace.
She served the empress as a lady-in-waiting.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading にょうかん is the most common modern pronunciation.
Alternate reading; less common than にょうかん but still encountered.
Rare alternate reading; may appear in older texts or specific contexts.
Compound of 女 (woman) and 官 (official, government post). The reading にょうかん is a sound change from じょかん, with にょう being a common euphonic shift for 女 in certain compounds.