巫女

巫女

1. Japanese female shaman; shrine maiden; miko

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 神(み) (mi, “spirit, god”) + 子(こ) (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 jukujikun (熟字訓).

• (Tokyo) みこ [míꜜkò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2][1]
• (Tokyo) みこ [mìkó] (Heiban – [0])^[2][1]
• IPA^(key): [mʲiko̞]

巫女(みこ) • (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; a shrine maid
2. an unmarried woman who serves a deity as a medium to convey oracles
   • 2017 April 15, “星(せい)杯(はい)を戴(いただ)く巫(み)女(こ) [Priestess Who Drinks from the Star Chalice]”, in Code(コード) of(オブ) the(ザ) Duelist(デュエリスト), Konami:

     星(せい)神(しん)に鎮(ちん)魂(こん)の祈(いの)りを捧(ささ)げる巫女(みこ)。

     Seishin ni chinkon no inori o sasageru miko.

     A priestess who offers soul-reposing prayers to the Star God.

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

• (shrine dancer):
  • 舞(まい)姫(ひめ) (maihime)
  • 御(み)神(かん)子(こ) (mikanko)
  • 巫(いち)子(こ) (ichiko), 巫(いた)子(こ) (itako)
  • 神(かぐ)楽(ら)女(め) (kagurame)
• (oracle):
  • 巫(かんなぎ) (kannagi), 覡(かんなぎ) (kannagi)
  • 巫(いち)子(こ) (ichiko), 巫(いた)子(こ) (itako)
  • 口(くち)寄(よ)せ (kuchiyose)

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

• (Tokyo) ふじょ [fúꜜjò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2][1]
• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟ʑo̞]

巫(ふ)女(じょ) • (fujo) ^{←ふぢよ (fudyo)?}

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

• 巫(かんなぎ) (kannagi), 覡(かんなぎ) (kannagi)
• 巫(いち)子(こ) (ichiko), 巫(いた)子(こ) (itako)
• 口(くち)寄(よ)せ (kuchiyose)

巫女 • (munyeo) (hangeul 무녀)

1. hanja form^? of 무녀 (“Korean priestess; Japanese shrine maiden”)