also: こみせ
noun
small shop; little store
Neutral term for a physically small retail establishment.
駅前に小さな小店が並んでいる。
Small shops line the area in front of the station.
noun
my shop (humble)
Only with reading しょうてん
Humble expression used when referring to one's own shop to a customer or superior. Restricted to the reading しょうてん.
小店ではただいまセールを行っております。
Our shop is currently holding a sale.
noun
low-class brothel (Edo period, Yoshiwara)
Only with reading こみせ
Historical term for a lower-tier brothel in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters during the Edo period. Restricted to the reading こみせ.
江戸時代、吉原には小見世と呼ばれる遊郭があった。
In the Edo period, there were brothels called 小見世 in Yoshiwara.
noun
snow passage under eaves (Tōhoku region)
Only with reading こみせ
Regional term for a covered walkway formed under the extended eaves of houses after heavy snowfall, found in the Tōhoku region. Restricted to the reading こみせ.
東北地方の雪深い地域では、こみせが冬の通路として使われる。
In the snowy areas of the Tōhoku region, こみせ are used as winter walkways.
Historical kanji spelling for the reading こみせ, associated with Edo-period brothels and Tōhoku snow passages.
Kana spelling for the reading こみせ, used when the historical or regional senses are intended.
小店 is composed of 小 (small) and 店 (shop). The reading しょうてん is the on'yomi of the kanji, while こみせ is a kun'yomi-based reading. The historical and regional senses are specific to the こみせ reading.