娼

A phono-semantic compound:

女 — woman (semantic component)

昌 — flourishing; prosperous (phonetic component)

The phonetic element 昌 originally conveys ideas of brightness, abundance, and flourishing. When combined with 女, the character came to denote women who prospered through entertainment and public association, eventually narrowing to the meaning of prostitute or courtesan.

The semantic development reflects historical social structures rather than moral judgment inherent in the character’s formation.

In early usage, 娼 did not necessarily imply criminality or social stigma; that connotation strengthened in later periods, particularly under Confucian moral frameworks.

In modern Korean, 창녀 is considered strongly negative and is mostly confined to legal, historical, or sociological contexts.

娼女 (창녀) — prostitute

娼妓 (창기) — prostitute; courtesan (historical/literary)

娼 exemplifies social roles rather than physical actions.

Modern languages increasingly avoid the character due to its stigmatizing force, replacing it with neutral or euphemistic terms.

Related characters:

妓 — courtesan; female entertainer

淫 — licentious; sexual excess

婢 — maidservant

妾 — concubine

倡 — to lead in singing; entertainer (originally gender-neutral)

In premodern China, 娼 commonly appeared in contrast with 妓:

娼 — women who received money primarily for companionship or sexual services

妓 — women trained in music, poetry, dance, and refined arts

Over time, the distinction blurred, and the compound 娼妓 came to refer collectively to professional female entertainers, especially those associated with prostitution.