女郎・女臈|じょろうjorou[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounprostitute (esp. Edo period)

• Synonym娼婦しょうふWrittenA general, fairly objective term for a prostitute, not tied to any era; more neutral than 「女郎」 and mostly seen in written prose.
• Synonym傾城けいせいWrittenOriginally a beauty who could topple a state; later a courtesan. Found in the classics and kabuki; more archaic and elegant than 「女郎」.
• Synonym売春婦ばいしゅんふNeutralThe standard modern term: objective and neutral, common in law and news reporting; 「女郎」 belongs to Edo-period contexts.
• Synonym遊女ゆうじょNeutralClose to 「女郎」: a woman of old times who made a living from song, dance and selling herself; typical of historical writing.
• Synonym遊び女あそびめWrittenAn archaic term for a woman who entertained at banquets with song and dance or sold herself; predates 「女郎」.
• Synonym賎業婦せんぎょうふWrittenAn old, contemptuous label implying a base trade; inappropriate to use today.
• Synonymパン助パンすけCasualA postwar colloquial slur for street prostitutes who served the occupying forces; dated and best avoided today.
• Synonym淫女いんじょWrittenChiefly a lascivious woman, by extension a prostitute; carries strong moral condemnation and is archaic written prose.
• Synonym淫婦いんぷWrittenA woman of loose morals; the stress is on moral censure, and she need not be a prostitute by trade. Written and old-fashioned.
• Synonym売女ばいたCasualA colloquial slur hurled at women of bad conduct; extremely insulting, far harsher than 「女郎」.
• Synonym売笑婦ばいしょうふWrittenAn old written term, virtually unused today; say 「売春婦」 instead.
• Synonym一夜妻いちやづまWrittenA woman kept for just one night; has a classical literary flavor and is rarely used today.
• Synonym醜業婦しゅうぎょうふWrittenAn old contemptuous label from official and press writing, implying an ugly trade; it should not be used in modern Japanese.
• Synonym遊君ゆうくんWrittenAn elegant written term found in classical literature; not used in modern Japanese.
• Synonym商売女しょうばいおんなCasualA colloquial umbrella for women doing hostess work at bars, clubs and in the adult-entertainment trade; broader in scope than 「女郎」.
• Synonym淫売婦いんばいふWrittenAn old, contemptuous written term, no longer used; say 「売春婦」 instead.
• Antonym男郎CasualA coined counterpart meaning a man as opposed to 「女郎」; not an established word.

For a modern, objective term use 「売春婦」; in written prose 「娼婦」 also works. For Edo-period or historical settings, 「女郎」 and 「遊女」 are the natural choices; 「傾城」 and 「遊び女」 suit classical texts. 「商売女」 is broader, covering hostess and nightlife work. The rest — 「賎業婦」, 「淫女」, 「淫婦」, 「売女」, 「売笑婦」, 「一夜妻」, 「醜業婦」, 「遊君」, 「淫売婦」, 「パン助」 — are old or derogatory labels best avoided today, though 「売女」 lives on as a harsh insult. 「男郎」 is not an established word.

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

1. （じょろう）高貴こうきな女性じょせい。
2. （じょろう、じょうろ、じょろ）女性じょせい。若わかい女性じょせい。
3. （じょろう、じょうろ、じょろ）遊女ゆうじょ。