家内

Japanese

Kanji in this term
家	内

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, romaji kanai)

1. (one's own) wife

Synonyms

• (one’s own wife): (more gender-neutral) 妻 (つま, tsuma)
• (another’s wife): 奥さん (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.