lady attendant; female servant; lady's maid
Refers to a woman who serves a lady of high rank, often in historical or formal contexts. Can also mean a female servant in a household.
彼女は公爵夫人の侍女として仕えていた。
She served as a lady attendant to the duchess.
She served as the princess's lady's maid.
The lady's maid prepared the room.
The noble household employed several lady's maids.
腰元 is an older term for a lady-in-waiting serving a noblewoman, very close in meaning to 侍女 but more archaic.
女官 refers specifically to a woman serving at the imperial court, whereas 侍女 can serve any lady of rank, not just royalty.
メイド is a modern loanword for a maid in a Western-style household, while 侍女 carries a traditional or historical Japanese nuance.
召使 is a generic term for any servant regardless of gender, while 侍女 specifically means a female attendant to a lady.
侍 (さむらい) means a samurai warrior, while 侍女 (じじょ) means a lady's maid; they share the kanji 侍 but have very different meanings.
侍女 shares the kanji 侍 with 侍医 but means a lady-in-waiting or maidservant, not a physician.
More formal than 人 — used for headcounts in reservations, staff lists, and announcements (5名様).
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
Compound of 侍 (じ, 'to serve') and 女 (じょ, 'woman'). The reading じじょ is a regular on'yomi combination.