Japanese Conversation · Level 52
90 words
Japanese word
奥さん
Pronunciation
Romajiokusan
Meaning
- nounwife
Example
奥さんはお元気ですか。oku sa n wa o gen ki de su ka
How is your wife?
More examples
昨日、友達の奥さんに駅で会いました。kinō tomo dachi no oku sa n ni eki de a i ma shi ta
I met my friend's wife at the station yesterday.
Core concept
Presents a wife as a respected married woman, particularly when speaking about or addressing someone else's spouse.
Common phrases
奥さんの名前oku sa n no na mae
one's wife's name
奥さんに聞くoku sa n ni ki ku
ask one's wife
Similar words
妻tsuma: A person's own wife, used when speaking about her.
家内kanai: A person's own wife, expressed in a modest and somewhat old-fashioned way.
女房nyōbō: A person's own wife, expressed in a familiar and colloquial way.
夫人fujin: A married woman, usually another person's wife, referred to in a formal way.
Definition in Japanese
他人の妻を敬意をもって指す語。また、既婚女性に対する丁寧な呼びかけにも用いる。ta nin no tsuma o kei i o mo tte sa su go ma ta ki kon jo sei ni tai su ru tei nei na yo bi ka ke ni mo mochi i ru
Word origin
奥 (oku, "inner part") originally names a private inner area, and adding さん (san, honorific suffix) creates a respectful term for the wife associated with that area.
Usage tips
- When a woman's marital status is unknown, using 奥さん (okusan) can sound presumptive because the term identifies her as married.
Other meanings
- madamnoun