noun, used as a prefix
Derogatory prefix used in compounds like 醜女 (しこめ, 'ugly woman'). Rare and old-fashioned; not productive in modern Japanese.
See also: 醜女 (しこめ)
「醜女」の「醜」は、醜いという意味の古い接頭辞です。
The 醜 in 醜女 is an old prefix meaning 'ugly'.
noun, used as a prefix
unworthy; insignificant; humble
Humble self-reference prefix, often as しこの. Found in archaic expressions like 醜の御楯 (しこのみたて, 'unworthy shield'). Extremely rare.
See also: 醜の御楯
「醜の御楯」という古い表現で、自分を謙遜して「しこの」と言うことがあります。
In the old expression 醜の御楯, one humbly refers to oneself as しこの.
noun
strong and frightening thing
Archaic noun. Also written as 鬼. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical or literary contexts.
古文では、「しこ」が強く恐ろしいものを指すことがあります。
In classical Japanese, しこ can refer to something strong and frightening.
The modern adjective for 'ugly', used in everyday language, unlike the rare prefix 醜 (しこ).
The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 醜 is conventionally associated with ugliness, while 鬼 is associated with demons or frightening things.