Literary or archaic term for an old woman; not used in everyday conversation. Modern Japanese prefers 老女 (ろうじょ) or おばあさん.
In old tales, an elderly woman called おうな often appears.
媼 (おうな) means an old woman and is easily confused with 翁 (おきな, an old man) because of the similar sound and kanji form.
Contains out-dated kanji usage; the reading おうな is not standard for this kanji compound.
Rare kanji form for 'elderly woman'.
Rare kanji form for 'elderly woman'.
The reading おうな is of native origin, likely from Old Japanese. The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 老女, 嫗, and 媼 are all used to represent the meaning 'elderly woman'.