geisha

American  

[gey-shuh, gee-] / ˈgeɪ ʃə, ˈgi- /

noun

plural

geisha, geishas

1. a Japanese woman trained as a professional singer, dancer, and companion for men.

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geisha British  

/ ˈɡeɪʃə /

noun

1. a professional female companion for men in Japan, trained in music, dancing, and the art of conversation

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geisha Cultural  

1. A Japanese woman who is trained and paid to provide entertainment and amusing company for men.

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Etymology

Origin of geisha

1890–95; < Japanese, equivalent to gei arts (< Chinese ) + -sha person (< Chin)

Example Sentences

In Japanese, the word geisha means "person of the arts", and can refer to a woman or man trained in traditional Japanese performing arts.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

At a hot-springs resort in the snowiest mountains of Japan, a wealthy and bored man named Shimamura becomes involved with Komako, a geisha.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Hemingway “swearing they’d been served by geisha girls,” according to Gellhorn.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025

All around us are kabuki headpieces, hand-painted kimono fabric, brocade floor-length jackets and geisha dolls frozen inside glass cases.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2022

One of the reporters—he’d lived in Japan just after the war, training automotive engineers to write manuals—was reminded of the calm of a geisha he’d witnessed performing the tea ceremony at Nara.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson