also: にょしょく · じょしき
noun
woman's beauty or charms; love affair with a woman; lust for women
Refers to female attractiveness, romantic involvement with a woman, or carnal desire for women. Often used in literary or historical contexts.
彼は女色に溺れて身を持ち崩した。
He ruined himself by indulging in lust for women.
その王は女色にふけり、国政を顧みなかった。
The king was absorbed in love affairs with women and neglected state affairs.
Rare reading; may be encountered in older texts.
Compound of 女 (woman) and 色 (color, love, sensuality). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese to denote feminine beauty and carnal desire.