姫
Meanings
princess; young noblewoman
Refers to a young woman of noble or royal birth. In modern usage, often used in fairy tales, historical contexts, or Western settings.
Princesses often appear in old tales.
She looks just like a princess from a fairy tale.
Attached to names or nouns to mean 'girl', often with a cute or affectionate nuance. Compare with 彦 (ひこ) for boys.
See also: 彦
The poster girl of this shop is called the 'kanban-hime'.
He calls his little sister 'our princess'.
Prefix used in names of plants, animals, or objects to indicate a smaller, cuter, or lesser variety. Common in species names.
The hime-masu is a fish of the salmon family.
The hime-joon blooms small white flowers.
prostitute (archaic, Kyoto dialect)
Archaic Kyoto dialect term for a prostitute. Not used in modern standard Japanese.
In Edo-period Kyoto, the word 'hime' could refer to a courtesan.
Usage patterns
- 姫を助けるto rescue a princess
The prince rescued the princess from the monster.
- 姫〈物〉a small or dwarf variety of ~ (used as a prefix for plants/animals)
Crab apples are smaller and cuter than regular apples.
- 姫として育つto be raised as a princess
She was raised as a princess in a small castle.
Expressions
- 一姫二太郎first a girl, then a boy is ideal · one girl and two boys are ideal