奥さん

• 読み: おくさん
• ローマ字: okusan
• 漢字の分解: 奥 (oku) — inner, deep, interior
• 発音: /o.kɯ.saɴ/

意味

Wife; someone else's wife; married lady; madam. A polite term for another person's wife.

Used to refer to someone else's wife, never your own. For your own wife, use 妻 (tsuma) in polite contexts or 家内 (kanai) in some traditional settings. 奥さん can also be used to address a married woman directly, similar to 'Mrs.' or 'ma'am.'

例文

1. 田中さんの奥さんはとても親切です。
2. 奥さんはお元気ですか。
3. 隣の奥さんにあいさつしました。

使い方ガイド

場面: family, social conversation, daily life

トーン: polite

起源と歴史

From 奥 (oku, 'inner/deep') with the honorific さん. Historically, wives occupied the inner chambers of the house, so 奥 came to mean 'wife' by association with the interior.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal