1.
maid, female servant, housemaid
A woman employed in domestic service, particularly in traditional Japanese households, inns, or restaurants. Now considered old-fashioned and potentially offensive as a label for modern service workers.
女中が料理を運んできた。
The maid brought the food.
昔の大きな屋敷には何人もの女中がいた。
Large estates in the past had several maids.
祖母は若い頃、旅館で女中として働いていたそうだ。
I heard that my grandmother worked as a maid at a traditional inn when she was young.
USAGE:
In modern Japanese, 女中 is considered old-fashioned and can sound derogatory. Current equivalents include 仲居 (waitress at a ryokan) or お手伝いさん (housekeeper/helper). The word is still commonly encountered in historical fiction, period dramas, and older literature.
In the context of the Edo-period 大奥 (women's quarters of the shogun's castle), 女中 referred to the women who served there, ranging from high-ranking ladies-in-waiting to lower servants.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 女中奉公: service as a maid
- 女中として働く: to work as a maid
- 旅館の女中: inn maid