geisha

See also: Geisha

English

A geisha at work

Alternative forms

• geisya

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 芸者(げいしゃ) (geisha, “artisan”), from Middle Chinese 藝 (MC ngjiejH, “art, craft”) + 者 (MC tsyaeX, “-er”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪ.ʃə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃə

Noun

geisha (plural geisha or geishas)

1. A Japanese female entertainer skilled in various arts such as tea ceremony, dancing, singing and calligraphy.

Synonyms

• geisha girl
• geiko
• maiko

Derived terms

• geisha ball
• geisha girl

Translations

a Japanese entertainer

• Albanian: geishë f
• Arabic: غَيْشَا f (ḡayšā)
• Armenian: գեյշա (geyša)
• Azerbaijani: geyşa (az)
• Belarusian: ге́йша f (hjéjša)
• Bengali: গিশা (giśa)
• Bulgarian: ге́йша f (géjša)
• Burmese: ဂေးရှား (ge:hra:)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藝妓 / 艺妓 (zh) (yìjì), 藝伎 / 艺伎 (zh) (yìjì)

• Czech: gejša (cs) f
• Danish: geisha c
• Dutch: geisha (nl) f
• Esperanto: gejŝo (eo)
• Estonian: geiša (et)
• Finnish: geisha (fi), geiša (fi)
• French: geisha (fr) f
• Georgian: გეიშა (ka) (geiša)
• German: Geisha (de) f
• Greek: γκέισα (el) f (gkéisa)
• Hebrew: גֵּיְשָׁה (he) f (géysha)
• Hindi: गीशा f (gīśā)
• Hungarian: gésa (hu)
• Icelandic: geisja f
• Interlingua: geisha
• Italian: geisha (it) f
• Japanese: 芸者 (ja) (げいしゃ, geisha), 芸妓 (ja) (げいぎ, geigi), 芸子 (ja) (げいこ, geiko) (young)
• Kazakh: гейша (geişa)
• Korean: 게이샤 (ko) (geisya), 게이기 (geigi)
• Kyrgyz: гейша (geyşa)
• Latvian: geiša f
• Lithuanian: geiša f
• Macedonian: ге́јша f (géjša)
• Malay: geisya

  Jawi: ݢيئيشا

• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: гейша (gejša)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: geisha m

  Nynorsk: geisha f

• Persian: گیشا (fa) (geyšâ)
• Polish: gejsza (pl) f
• Portuguese: gueixa (pt) f
• Romanian: gheișă (ro) f
• Russian: ге́йша (ru) f (géjša)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ге̑јша f

  Latin: gȇjša (sh) f

• Slovak: gejša (sk) f
• Slovene: gejša f
• Swedish: geisha (sv) c
• Tajik: гейша (geyša)
• Thai: เกอิชา (th) (gee-ì-chaa)
• Turkish: geyşa (tr)
• Ukrainian: ге́йша f (héjša), ґе́йша f (géjša)
• Urdu: گیشا f (gīśā)
• Uzbek: geysha (uz)
• Vietnamese: geisha (vi), nghệ giả (藝者)

Finnish

Alternative forms

• geiša

Etymology

From Japanese 芸者(げいしゃ) (geisha).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡei̯ʃɑ/, [ˈɡe̞i̯ʃɑ̝]
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡei̯sɑ/, [ˈɡe̞i̯s̠ɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -eiʃɑ

Noun

geisha

1. geisha

Declension

Inflection of geisha (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		geisha	geishat
genitive		geishan	geishojen
partitive		geishaa	geishoja
illative		geishaan	geishoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		geisha	geishat
accusative	nom.	geisha	geishat
	gen.	geishan
genitive		geishan	geishojen geishain rare
partitive		geishaa	geishoja
inessive		geishassa	geishoissa
elative		geishasta	geishoista
illative		geishaan	geishoihin
adessive		geishalla	geishoilla
ablative		geishalta	geishoilta
allative		geishalle	geishoille
essive		geishana	geishoina
translative		geishaksi	geishoiksi
abessive		geishatta	geishoitta
instructive		—	geishoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of geisha (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative geishani geishani accusative nom. geishani geishani gen. geishani genitive geishani geishojeni geishaini rare partitive geishaani geishojani inessive geishassani geishoissani elative geishastani geishoistani illative geishaani geishoihini adessive geishallani geishoillani ablative geishaltani geishoiltani allative geishalleni geishoilleni essive geishanani geishoinani translative geishakseni geishoikseni abessive geishattani geishoittani instructive — — comitative — geishoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative geishasi geishasi accusative nom. geishasi geishasi gen. geishasi genitive geishasi geishojesi geishaisi rare partitive geishaasi geishojasi inessive geishassasi geishoissasi elative geishastasi geishoistasi illative geishaasi geishoihisi adessive geishallasi geishoillasi ablative geishaltasi geishoiltasi allative geishallesi geishoillesi essive geishanasi geishoinasi translative geishaksesi geishoiksesi abessive geishattasi geishoittasi instructive — — comitative — geishoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative geishamme geishamme accusative nom. geishamme geishamme gen. geishamme genitive geishamme geishojemme geishaimme rare partitive geishaamme geishojamme inessive geishassamme geishoissamme elative geishastamme geishoistamme illative geishaamme geishoihimme adessive geishallamme geishoillamme ablative geishaltamme geishoiltamme allative geishallemme geishoillemme essive geishanamme geishoinamme translative geishaksemme geishoiksemme abessive geishattamme geishoittamme instructive — — comitative — geishoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative geishanne geishanne accusative nom. geishanne geishanne gen. geishanne genitive geishanne geishojenne geishainne rare partitive geishaanne geishojanne inessive geishassanne geishoissanne elative geishastanne geishoistanne illative geishaanne geishoihinne adessive geishallanne geishoillanne ablative geishaltanne geishoiltanne allative geishallenne geishoillenne essive geishananne geishoinanne translative geishaksenne geishoiksenne abessive geishattanne geishoittanne instructive — — comitative — geishoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative geishansa geishansa accusative nom. geishansa geishansa gen. geishansa genitive geishansa geishojensa geishainsa rare partitive geishaansa geishojaan geishojansa inessive geishassaan geishassansa geishoissaan geishoissansa elative geishastaan geishastansa geishoistaan geishoistansa illative geishaansa geishoihinsa adessive geishallaan geishallansa geishoillaan geishoillansa ablative geishaltaan geishaltansa geishoiltaan geishoiltansa allative geishalleen geishallensa geishoilleen geishoillensa essive geishanaan geishanansa geishoinaan geishoinansa translative geishakseen geishaksensa geishoikseen geishoiksensa abessive geishattaan geishattansa geishoittaan geishoittansa instructive — — comitative — geishoineen geishoinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• geishakuula
• geishapallo

See also

• Geisha (chocolate bar)

Further reading

• “geisha”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 芸者.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ.ʃa/ ~ /ɡe.ʃa/, /ɡɛj.ʃa/

Noun

geisha f (plural geishas)

1. geisha

Derived terms

• boule de geisha

Further reading

• “geisha”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Alternative forms

• gheiscia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɛ.iʃ.ʃa/
• Rhymes: -ɛiʃʃa

Noun

geisha f (plural geishe)

1. geisha

Anagrams

• saighe

Japanese

Romanization

geisha

1. Rōmaji transcription of げいしゃ

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• geiscia

Noun

geisha f (plural geisha)

1. geisha

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese 芸者.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡeiʃa/ [ˈɡei̯.ʃa]
• Rhymes: -eiʃa

Noun

geisha f (plural geishas)

1. geisha

Further reading

• “geisha”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 芸者 (geisha, “artisan”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

geisha class IX (plural geisha class X)

1. geisha

Swedish

Noun

geisha c

1. geisha

Declension

Declension of geisha

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	geisha	geishas
	definite	geishan	geishans
plural	indefinite	geishor	geishors
	definite	geishorna	geishornas

Derived terms

• geishakula
• geishaskola

References

• “geisha”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “geisha”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)