家内

家内

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 家内 – see 家內 (“wife”). (This term, 家内, is the simplified form of 家內.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
家	内
Grade: 2	Grade: 2

Etymology

Literally ‘inside the house’ from the Sino-Japanese (on'yomi) readings of家 (か, ka, “house”)+ 内 (ない, nai, “inside”).

Noun

家内 (hiragana かない, rōmaji kanai)

1. (humble) (one's own) wife

Synonyms

• (one’s own wife): (more gender-neutral) 妻 (つま) (tsuma)
• (another’s wife): 奥 (おく)さん (okusan)

Usage notes

• This word should only be used in reference to the speaker’s own wife, whereas 奥さん (okusan) is a polite term used to refer to someone else’s wife.
• 妻 (tsuma) is a more general term for a wife, and can also mean spouse.
• 家内 is offensive to some, literally meaning “in the house”, thus carrying connotations of traditional gender roles; in this case, 妻 is preferred.