kisaeng

English

A young kisaeng in 1910

Alternative forms

• gisaeng

Etymology

Borrowed from Korean 기생(妓生) (gisaeng).

Noun

kisaeng (plural kisaengs or kisaeng)

1. (historical) A member of a traditional Korean caste of female entertainers, whose work often included prostitution.
   • 2009 March 3, Claudia La Rocco, “Currents of Desire, With an Assist From the Audience”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     These raw emotions and unpolished behaviors are placed against the seductive, perfected armor of the kisaeng, whose skill as the ultimate purveyors of fantasy is belied by the almost caustic loneliness threading through their poems.

Translations

a Korean entertainer

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 妓生 (jìshēng)

• Japanese: 妓生 (ja) (ぎせい, gisei), キーセン (ja) (kīsen)
• Korean: 기생(妓生) (ko) (gisaeng), 기녀(妓女) (ko) (ginyeo)
• Russian: кисэ́н (ru) f (kisɛ́n)

See also

• kisaeng on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• sea king, sinkage