女じょ官かん

also: にょうかん · にょかん

じょ

か

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

Refers to a female official or attendant serving in a royal or imperial court, especially in historical Japanese contexts.

平へい安あん時じ代だいの女にょう官かんは、宮きゅう中ちゅうで重じゅう要ような役やく割わりを果はたしていた。
Court ladies in the Heian period played important roles in the imperial palace.
彼かの女じょは女にょう官かんとして皇こう后ごうに仕つかえた。
She served the empress as a lady-in-waiting.

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Kanji

女woman, female
官bureaucrat, the government, organ

Related words

侍じ従じゅう
侍従 refers to a male court attendant serving the emperor, while 女官 is the parallel term for a female court attendant.
侍じ女じょ
女官 refers specifically to a woman serving at the imperial court, whereas 侍女 can serve any lady of rank, not just royalty.

Written forms

女官Usage100%
- にょうかん
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading にょうかん is the most common modern pronunciation.
- じょかん
  Alternate reading; less common than にょうかん but still encountered.
- にょかん
  Rare alternate reading; may appear in older texts or specific contexts.
にょかん
にょうかん

Etymology

Compound of 女 (woman) and 官 (official, government post). The reading にょうかん is a sound change from じょかん, with にょう being a common euphonic shift for 女 in certain compounds.