Japanese

芸子 (geiko): a geiko or geisha in Kyoto.

Noun

芸子 ‎(hiragana げいこ, romaji geiko)

1. a geisha, especially a young geisha
2. a young kabuki actor, especially one still in training
3. a talented person, especially with regard to performing
4. short for 芸子髷 (​geiko mage): a special kind of hairstyle traditionally worn by geisha

Synonyms

• (geisha):
  • 芸者 (げいしゃ, ​geisha)
  • 芸妓 (げいぎ, ​geigi)
  • 綺麗所, 綺麗どころ, 奇麗どころ (きれいどころ, ​kirei-dokoro)
  • 左褄 (ひだりづま, ​hidarizuma)
• (kabuki actor): 舞台子 (ぶたいこ, ​butaiko)
• (talented person): 芸人 (げいにん, ​geinin)
• (hairstyle): 芸子髷 (げいこまげ, ​geiko mage)

Usage notes

For the sense of a woman employed to wear traditional dress and entertain using traditional song, dance, music, and storytelling:^[2]

• geisha is the most general term.
• geigi is most often used in writing, typically more formal writing.
• geiko is more common in the Kansai region of Japan.
• kirei-dokoro can be used to mean a beautifully dressed woman, but more often refers to a woman working as an entertainer in a red-light district.
• hidarizuma is a somewhat old-fashioned epithet for a geisha, referring to the way that geisha hold onto the left (hidari) edge below the collar portion (tsuma) of their kimono while walking.

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan