young female servant
Archaic term for a young maidservant or female attendant, used in historical contexts. Not used in modern Japanese.
In samurai residences of the Edo period, young female servants handled daily chores.
Archaic kanji form for 'young female servant'. 少 suggests 'young' and 婢 means 'maidservant'.
Variant kanji form using 小 (small/young) instead of 少. Both are archaic.
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.