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少婢 (しょうひ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

少しょう婢ひ

Meanings

1

noun

young female servant

archaic

Archaic term for a young maidservant or female attendant, used in historical contexts. Not used in modern Japanese.

江え戸ど時じ代だいの武ぶ家け屋や敷しきでは、少しょう婢ひが日にち常じょうの雑ざつ務むをこなしていた。
In samurai residences of the Edo period, young female servants handled daily chores.

Written forms

少しょう婢ひ
Archaic kanji form for 'young female servant'. 少 suggests 'young' and 婢 means 'maidservant'.
小しょう婢ひUsage100%
Variant kanji form using 小 (small/young) instead of 少. Both are archaic.

Kanji

少few, little
婢maidservant
小

little, small

Similar words

女じょ中ちゅう
女中 is a more general term for a maid or female servant, used historically but also in some traditional inns today. 少婢 specifically emphasizes youth and is more archaic.
下げ女じょ
下女 is another archaic term for a female servant, often with a lower status connotation. 少婢 is less common and more literary.

Etymology

Compound of 少 (young) or 小 (small/young) and 婢 (female servant). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term appears in classical and pre-modern texts.