noun
princess; young noblewoman
Refers to a young woman of noble or royal birth. In modern usage, often used in fairy tales, historical contexts, or Western settings.
昔話にはよく姫が登場する。
Princesses often appear in old tales.
彼女はまるでおとぎ話の姫のようだ。
She looks just like a princess from a fairy tale.
noun, used as a suffix, noun
Attached to names or nouns to mean 'girl', often with a cute or affectionate nuance. Compare with 彦 (ひこ) for boys.
See also: 彦
この店の看板娘は「看板姫」と呼ばれている。
The poster girl of this shop is called the 'kanban-hime'.
彼は妹を「うちの姫」と呼ぶ。
He calls his little sister 'our princess'.
prefix
Prefix used in names of plants, animals, or objects to indicate a smaller, cuter, or lesser variety. Common in species names.
ヒメマスはサケ科の魚だ。
The hime-masu is a fish of the salmon family.
ヒメジョオンは小さな白い花を咲かせる。
The hime-joon blooms small white flowers.
noun
prostitute (archaic, Kyoto dialect)
Archaic Kyoto dialect term for a prostitute. Not used in modern standard Japanese.
江戸時代の京都では、姫という言葉が遊女を指すことがあった。
In Edo-period Kyoto, the word 'hime' could refer to a courtesan.
Outdated kanji variant; rarely used in modern Japanese.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 姫 is conventionally associated with the meaning 'princess' or 'noblewoman'. The prefix and suffix uses developed from the core meaning.