is the Japanese word for princess or a lady of higher birth. Daughters of a monarch are actually referred to by other terms, e.g. {{nihongo3, , 王女, Ōjo, literally king's daughter, even though ''Hime'' can be used to address ''Ōjo''. The word ''Hime'' initially referred to any beautiful female person. The

antonym In lexical semantics, opposites are words lying in an inherently incompatible binary relationship. For example, something that is ''long'' entails that it is not ''short''. It is referred to as a 'binary' relationship because there are two members ...

of ''Hime'' is ''Shikome'' (醜女), literally ''ugly female'', though it is

archaic Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently: *List of archaeological periods **Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...

and rarely used. ''Hime'' may also indicate ''feminine'' or simply ''small'' when used together with other words, such as ''Hime-gaki'' (a low line of

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoini ...

). ''Hime'' is commonly seen as part of a Japanese female divinity's name, such as Toyotama-hime. The Kanji applied to transliterate ''Hime'' are 比売 or 毘売 rather than 姫. The masculine counterpart of ''Hime'' is ''Hiko'' (彦, 比古 or 毘古,) which is seen as part of Japanese male gods' names, such as Saruta-hiko. Unlike ''Hime'', ''Hiko'' is neutral, non-archaic and still commonly used as a modern Japanese male given name, for example Nobuhiko Takada.

Proverb

*Ichi hime ni taro "''First baby, a girl. Second baby, a boy''": It originally meant that having a girl first, and a boy second was easier on the mother as she gained experience before nurturing a boy. However, with each household having fewer children, this is commonly confused as having "one girl and two boys", or three children. This is because "ichi" means "one" in Japanese and "ni" means "two" in Japanese, and therefore could be read as, "One girl, two boys."

Usage

While many use the name ''Hime'' to address those of a higher or more noble birth, there are a few who use it as a girl's name. Thus some names either incorporate the word ''Hime'' or the giver simply will name said girl ''Hime''.

Historical

* Himiko Some believe that Himiko is a transliteration from Japanese to Chinese of ''Himemiko'' or female shaman. *

Soga no Kitashihime was a Japanese noblewoman and high lady, a daughter of Soga no Iname, a high-ranking official. She was a consort of Emperor Kinmei of Japan. Among her offspring were Emperor Yōmei, Empress Suiko and Princess Ōtomo. Issue Soga no Kitashihime g ...

(consort of Emperor Kimmei)

Sengoku Period

* Nōhime (wife of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

) * Ichi Hime (市姫)　(younger sister of

) * Koma Hime (駒姫) (daughter of

Mogami Yoshiaki was a ''daimyō'' of the Yamagata Domain in Dewa Province, in the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. Known as "Fox of Dewa". Biography Mogami Yoshiaki was the first son of Mogami Yoshimori ( 最上義守), of the Mogami clan and succeeded hi ...

) * Gotoku Hime (五徳姫) (daughter of

) * Iroha Hime (五郎八姫) (daughter of

Date Masamune was a regional ruler of Japan's Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful ''daimyō'' in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made all ...

) * Toku Hime （督姫） (second daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu) * Hosokawa Gracia (daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide) * Senhime (Princess Sen, eldest daughter

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Tokugawa Hidetada) *

Komatsuhime (1573 – March 27, 1620) was a female warrior (''onna-musha'') during late-Sengoku period and early Edo period . Born the daughter of Honda Tadakatsu, she was adopted by Tokugawa Ieyasu, before marrying Sanada Nobuyuki. She is described as h ...

(daughter of Honda Tadakatsu) * Yodo-dono (daughter of Ichi Hime (市姫)) * Hatsu Hime (初姫)　(daughter of Ichi Hime (市姫)) * Oeyo (daughter of Ichi Hime (市姫), wife of Tokugawa Hidetada) * Tachibana Ginchiyo　(daughter of Tachibana Dōsetsu) * Mah Hime (摩阿姫) (daughter of Maeda Toshiie) * Go hime (豪姫) (daughter of Maeda Toshiie)

Literature

* Kaguya-hime; or The Moon Princess; The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter folk tale * Tsubaki-hime (椿姫, a common Japanese translation of the French work The Lady of the Camellias)

In popular culture

* ''

Shikabane Hime is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshiichi Akahito. Premiering in ''Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' on April 12, 2005, the series centers on the "Corpse Princess" Makina Hoshimura, an undead girl who is hunting down 108 undead co ...

'' is a Japanese manga series and a TV anime series * '' Anmitsu Hime'' (The Sugar Princess, anime and

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series) * ''

Mononoke Hime is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Y ...

'' (Princess Mononoke,

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

) * Hime, the lead character in the anime and manga series '' Princess Resurrection''. * ''

Sakura Hime Kaden is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Arina Tanemura. It began serialization in ''Ribon'' magazine on December 1, 2008 and has been compiled into 12 volumes by publisher Shueisha. The series is licensed for English language publi ...

'', a manga by

Arina Tanemura is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and character designer. She made her professional manga debut in 1996 with the one-shot ''The Style of the Second Love'' in the ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Ribon Original'' and later published her first ...

* '' Fushigiboshi no Futagohime'', a Japanese anime * Tsunade Hime, a character from the manga '' Naruto'' *

Orihime Inoue is a Character (arts), fictional character and in the ''Bleach (manga), Bleach'' manga series and its anime adaptations created by Tite Kubo. She is one of Ichigo Kurosaki's friends, and later his wife. Like the many other characters in the ser ...

, a character from the Manga & Anime ''

Bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

''. * '' Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'', the sequel to the manga and anime series '' Inuyasha''. * Luna Himemori, a Hololive VTuber

Castle

* Himeji Castle