美女|びじょbijo[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounbeautiful woman
   勇者ゆうしゃにあらずんば美女びじょを得えず。↗

   None but the brave deserve the fair.

• Synonym美人びじんNeutralThe most common word for a beautiful woman; fully interchangeable with 「美女」, and also used predicatively as 「美人だ」 to describe someone's looks.
• Synonym傾城けいせいWrittenAn old written term for a beauty who could topple a castle or state, also a general word for a courtesan (遊女); rare today — say 「美女」.
• Synonym小町こまちNeutralA woman famed as the beauty of a particular place, as in 「秋田小町」, after the poet Ono no Komachi; 「美女」 is not tied to any region.
• Synonym佳人かじんWrittenA written, archaic word for a beautiful woman, best known from 「佳人薄命」; for everyday compliments on looks use 「美人」 or 「美女」.
• Synonym麗人れいじんWrittenWritten and elegant: a woman of striking beauty, seen most often in 「男装の麗人」; more refined in tone than 「美女」.
• SynonymべっぴんCasualColloquial and slightly old-fashioned, with a friendly feel; common in Kansai. It can also mean top-quality goods, a sense 「美女」 does not have.
• Related傾国けいこくWrittenA written, archaic term for a beauty of state-toppling allure; it can also mean a courtesan. Far stronger in degree than 「美女」.
• Related美姫びきWrittenAn archaic written word for a beautiful princess or lady; in modern speech you would normally praise looks with 「美女」.
• Related尤物ゆうぶつWrittenWritten and rare: originally an outstanding thing of its kind, by extension a beautiful woman; in daily conversation say 「美女」.
• Related美形びけいNeutralRefers to beautiful looks and applies to men as well as women, often in anime and manga contexts; 「美女」 is used only of women.
• Related蛾眉がびWrittenOriginally the slender eyebrows of a beauty, extended to mean a beautiful woman and also a crescent moon; archaic and rare today.
• Antonym醜女しゅうじょWrittenAntonym: an ugly woman. Harsh and disparaging in tone, and mostly written; it is seldom heard in everyday speech.
• Antonym不美人ふびじんNeutralAntonym: a woman who is not good-looking. Softer and more neutral than 「醜女」.

For an attractive woman in everyday speech, 「美人」 and 「美女」 are the defaults; 「美女」 is common in titles and set phrases like 「美女と野獣」. For an elegant, literary tone pick 「佳人」 or 「麗人」, and for a beauty famous in a particular area, 「〇〇小町」.

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

1. (びじょ) 美うつくしい女性じょせい。[818年ねん～]
2. (びじょ, びんじょ) 召使めしつかいの女性じょせい。[13世紀せいき～]