奥さん
Meaning in Englishsomeone else’s wife, married woman
Animated kanji stroke order
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)