嫁ぐ

• Reading: とつぐ
• Romaji: totsugu
• Kanji breakdown: 嫁 (yome/totsu) — bride, marry into
• Pronunciation: /to.tsɯ.ɡɯ/

Meaning

To marry into (a family); to be given in marriage; to wed — used exclusively of a woman marrying.

A Group 1 (godan) verb. 嫁ぐ is the traditional literary verb for a woman leaving her birth family to marry into another household. It carries historical and cultural weight from the ie (家) family system, where marriage meant a woman was formally transferred to her husband's family register. In modern usage it retains a somewhat formal or literary register, often appearing in novels, period dramas, and sentimental writing. The noun form 嫁 (yome) means bride or daughter-in-law.

Examples

1. 彼女は遠い土地に嫁ぎ、両親と会えない日々が続いた。 She married into a distant land and days without being able to see her parents continued.
2. 祖母は戦後まもなく隣村の名家に嫁いだと、母から聞いた。 My mother told me that my grandmother had married into a distinguished family in the neighbouring village shortly after the war.
3. 娘が見知らぬ地に嫁ぐと聞いた父は、複雑な表情を浮かべた。 Hearing that his daughter was to marry into an unfamiliar place, her father wore a complex expression.

Usage Guide

Context: marriage, literature, history, family

Tone: formal

Origin & History

From 嫁 (yome — bride, daughter-in-law) + verbal suffix -ぐ. 嫁 itself derives from a character meaning woman + home, reflecting the traditional concept of a bride moving into the husband's household.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal