芸者

Japanese

Kanji in this term
芸	者
げい Grade: 4	しゃ Grade: 3
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
藝者 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Appears to be a Japanese coinage of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as a compound of 芸 (gei, “art, technique”) +‎ 者 (sha, “person”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) げーしゃ [gèéshá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɡe̞ːɕa̠]

Noun

芸(げい)者(しゃ) • (geisha) 

1. a geisha
2. one who is proficient in an art, an artisan
   • 1603, Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) [Vocabulary of the Language of Japan] (in Portuguese), Nagasaki, page 295:

     Gueixa. Guei arumono. (芸ある者) 芸能の心得のある者、または、能力のある者.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. a person who utilizes their art as an occupation
   • 1688: 日本永代蔵, Volume 6, Chapter 5

     一切の人間、目有鼻あり、手あしもかはらず生れ付て、貴人・高人、よろづの藝者は各別、常の町人、金銀の有徳ゆへ世上に名をしらるゝ事、是を思へば、若き時よりかせぎて、分限の其名を世に殘さぬは口をし。

4. one who entertains parties with song and dance

Descendants

• → English: geisha

See also

• Korean: 기생 (妓生, gisaeng)

References

• Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
• Noma, Kōshin (1960) [1688] Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 48: Saigakushū (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN