doe; female deer
Refers specifically to a female deer. The reading めじか is standard; めしか is a less common variant. Obsolete readings めか and めが are not used in modern Japanese.
See also: 牡鹿
A doe was eating grass in the forest.
It's difficult to tell a buck from a doe.
Standard kanji spelling for a female deer.
Kanji spelling using 牝 (female animal). Less common than 雌鹿 but still encountered.
Compound of 雌 (me, 'female') + 鹿 (shika, 'deer'). The reading めじか is a standard rendaku form.