売春(ばいしゅん)

Composed of 売(ばい) (to sell) and 春(しゅん) (spring), where "spring" is a literary euphemism for sexual activity. A formal term used in legal, news, and academic contexts.

Common collocations

• 売春防止法(ばいしゅんぼうしほう): Anti-Prostitution Act
• 売春(ばいしゅん)を強要(きょうよう)する: to force into prostitution
• 売春(ばいしゅん)行為(こうい): act of prostitution
• 児童(じどう)売春(ばいしゅん): child prostitution

Similar words

• 買春(ばいしゅん): buying sex — the counterpart viewed from the buyer's side; sometimes read かいしゅん to distinguish it
• 援助交際(えんじょこうさい): compensated dating — a euphemism sometimes used for transactional sexual relationships
• 風俗(ふうぞく): the sex industry — colloquial shorthand for 風俗営業(ふうぞくえいぎょう)

Etymology

The use of 春(しゅん) (spring) as a euphemism for sexual matters comes from classical Chinese literary tradition, where spring symbolized romantic and sexual love.