Japanese symbol for “courtesan”
傾城
けいせい
Romaji: keisei
beauty; siren
In Japanese, courtesan is 傾城, read けいせい (keisei).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n beauty; siren
- n courtesan; prostitute
Written forms: 傾城、契情. Readings: けいせい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “courtesan”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 傾国 | けいこく keikoku | courtesan; prostitute |
| 女菩薩 | にょぼさつ nyobosatsu | courtesan; prostitute |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 傾向 | けいこう keikou | tendency; trend; inclination |
| 傾斜 | けいしゃ keisha | inclination; slant; slope |
| 傾倒 | けいとう keitou | devoting oneself to; concentrating on; being an ardent admirer of |
| 傾き | かたむき katamuki | slope; inclination; list |
| 傾聴 | けいちょう keichou | listening closely |
| 傾ける | かたむける katamukeru | to incline; to lean; to tip |
| 城下町 | じょうかまち joukamachi | castle town; city in Japan that developed around the castle of a feudal lord |
| 城主 | じょうしゅ joushu | lord of a castle |
See also: Chinese symbol for “courtesan”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.