Chinese

Noun

巫女

1. a Japanese female shaman

Japanese

巫女 (miko): a pair of miko or shrine maidens at Meiji Jingu.

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 神 ‎(mi, “spirit, god”) +‎ 子 ‎(ko, “child”), as suggested by the alternative spelling 神子.

Formerly spelled as 巫 on its own.^[1] The modern kanji spelling 巫女 appears to be ateji, as an example of 熟字訓 ‎(jukujikun).

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
• (Tokyo) み​こ [míꜜkò] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2][1]
• (Tokyo) みこ [mìkó] (Heiban - [0])^[2][1]
• IPA^(key): [miko̞]

Alternative forms

• 神子, 神巫 (rare), 巫 (obsolete)

Noun

巫女 ‎(hiragana みこ, romaji miko)

1. An unmarried woman who serves at a Shintō shrine, helping to receive visitors and performing 神楽 ‎(kagura) dances at ceremonies, among other responsibilities.
2. An unmarried woman who serves a deity as a medium to convey oracles.

Usage notes

Using the alternate spelling 神子, a miko could be of either gender, but unmarried young women are by far the most common.

Synonyms

• (shrine dancer):
  • 舞姫 (まいひめ) ‎(maihime)
  • 御神子 (みかんこ) ‎(mikanko)
  • 巫子 (いちこ) ‎(ichiko), 巫子 (いたこ) ‎(itako)
  • 神楽女 (かぐらめ) ‎(kagurame)
• (oracle):
  • 巫 (かんなぎ) ‎(kannagi), 覡 (かんなぎ) ‎(kannagi)
  • 巫子 (いちこ) ‎(ichiko), 巫子 (いたこ) ‎(itako)
  • 口寄 (くちよ)せ ‎(kuchiyose)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese compound 巫女 ‎(mju? nrjo^X, literally “shaman + woman”). Compare modern Mandarin reading wūnǚ.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• (Tokyo) ふ​じょ [fúꜜjò] (Atamadaka - [1])^[2][1]
• IPA^(key): [ɸɯᵝd͡ʑo̞]

Noun

巫女 ‎(hiragana ふじょ, romaji fujo, historical hiragana ふぢよ)

1. An unmarried woman who serves a deity as a medium to convey oracles.

Synonyms

• 巫 (かんなぎ) ‎(kannagi), 覡 (かんなぎ) ‎(kannagi)
• 巫子 (いちこ) ‎(ichiko), 巫子 (いたこ) ‎(itako)
• 口寄 (くちよ)せ ‎(kuchiyose)

References

1. 1 2 3 4 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0
2. 1 2 3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9