also: やもめ · やまめ
noun
widow; divorced woman not remarried; unmarried woman
Primarily refers to a woman who has lost her husband and not remarried. Can also refer to a divorced woman who remains single, or, in some contexts, an unmarried woman. The reading やもめ is common in everyday language, while かふ is more formal. The term 女やもめ specifically emphasizes a female widow, contrasting with 鰥 (やもめ) for a widower.
See also: 女やもめ (おんなやもめ) · 鰥 (やもめ)
彼女は若くして寡婦になった。
She became a widow at a young age.
戦
Many women became widows because of the war.
Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.
Abbreviated kanji form; rarely used independently.
Rarely used kanji form for widow.
The kanji 寡 means 'few' or 'widow', and 婦 means 'woman'. The compound 寡婦 literally means 'a woman with few (relatives)' or 'a woman alone', referring to a widow. The native Japanese reading やもめ is of uncertain origin, possibly related to 家 (ya, 'house') and 喪 (mo, 'mourning').