noun
red-light district; licensed pleasure quarter
Historical term for a government-licensed district where brothels and teahouses operated, especially in the Edo period. In modern contexts, it refers to such historical areas or is used metaphorically.
江戸時代、吉原は有名な遊郭だった。
In the Edo period, Yoshiwara was a famous red-light district.
この小説は遊郭を舞台にしている。
This novel is set in a licensed pleasure quarter.
Compound of 遊 (play, pleasure) and 郭 (enclosure, quarter), literally 'pleasure quarter'. The term dates from the Edo period when such districts were officially licensed.