How to say "brothel" in Japanese

• 娼館しょうかん
  nounA plain, descriptive word for a brothel: premises where prostitutes work. Built from 娼 'prostitute' and 館 'building', it names the place without judging it, though it is not an everyday word.
• 妓楼ぎろう
  nounA brothel in the traditional pleasure quarters — the tall buildings where courtesans worked and received their guests. You meet it chiefly in historical fiction and writing about the old licensed quarters.
• 銘酒屋めいしゅや
  nounA historical term for a brothel disguised as a shop selling fine sake: the prostitution was masked as the sake trade. It belongs to historical accounts rather than present-day speech.
• 女郎屋じょろうや
  nounA brothel housing 女郎, an old word for courtesans; like 妓楼 it evokes the old pleasure quarters and appears mainly in period fiction and older writing.
• 淫売宿いんばいやど
  nounA harsh, condemnatory word: 淫売 is a blunt term for prostitution and 宿 is an inn, so the sense is a lodging given over to prostitution — seldom a good choice for neutral description.

All five are uncommon words for a house of prostitution: pick 娼館 for plain description, 妓楼 or 女郎屋 for the old pleasure quarters, 銘酒屋 for a brothel fronting as a sake shop, and 淫売宿 for harsh, condemnatory tone.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 娼館しょうかんbrothel
• 妓楼ぎろうbrothel
• 銘酒屋めいしゅやbrothel (masked as a seller of high-quality sake)
• 女郎屋じょろうやbrothel
• 淫売宿いんばいやどbrothel
• 娼家しょうかbrothel
• 売春宿ばいしゅんやどbrothel
• 淫売屋いんばいやbrothel
• 遊女屋ゆうじょやbrothel
• 性風俗店せいふうぞくてんbrothel
• ちょんの間ちょんのまbrothel (esp. one that allows for penetrative intercourse)
• 魔街まがいden of thieves
• 風俗店ふうぞくてんsex establishment
• 暗屋くらや(clandestine) brothel (Edo period)
• 魔窟まくつbrothel
• 矢場やばbrothel (covering up as an archery range)
• 亡八ぼうはちbrothel
• 悪所あくしょred-light district
• 貸座敷かしざしき(Edo-period) brothel