奥さん
Meaning in Englishsomeone else’s wife, married woman
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
What does 奥さん mean? It is a polite term used to refer to a married woman, typically the wife of the person being talked about; it conveys respect and social distance in conversation, and is commonly used when addressing or speaking about someone else’s wife.
Main meanings
- The wife of someone; a courteous way to refer to a married woman in conversation
- A polite way to mention someone's wife when addressing or speaking about her to others
- In casual families, you may hear うちの奥さん to refer to one's own wife, though more direct terms like 妻 or 家内 are also common
How to use it
Used in polite or semi-formal conversation to refer to someone else’s wife or to discuss a wife in the third person. It is common in everyday conversation but not typically used to refer to one’s own wife in a formal context; in very formal situations 奥様 is preferred.
Variants and close terms
- 妻 (tsuma) — wife; neutral/direct
- 家内 (kanai) — one’s wife; formal/old-fashioned
- おくさん (okusan) — polite form of 奥さん for others in casual speech
Composition
- 奥: inner, interior; deep
- さん: polite suffix; kana
Etymology
奥 (oku) denotes interior or depth, and さん is a common honorific suffix derived from さま; together they form a polite noun for a married woman, with the semantic shift from a spatial interior to a social interior (the person who belongs to the household).
Word class
noun (honorific)