unmarried person; widow; widower
Rare, formal term for someone without a spouse, including those never married or widowed. Modern Japanese more commonly uses 独身 (どくしん) for unmarried and 未亡人 (みぼうじん) for widow.
Raising children alone as a single person is tough.
many people; large numbers; masses · people; folks; group
taciturn; reticent; quiet
oligopoly; market control by a few firms
degree; amount; quantity
widow; divorced woman not remarried; unmarried woman
small number of people; oligarchs
unprolific; producing few works
small army; small force; few troops
small force; numerically inferior force
widower
Standard kanji spelling for this word.
The kanji 寡 originally depicts a person under a roof with few possessions, conveying the idea of 'few' or 'alone'. The reading か is the on'yomi. The exact historical derivation of the word is uncertain.
very little; very few; scanty; paltry
widowhood; living as a widow
unselfishness; wanting little; frugal in desire
low fecundity
ill-informed; having little knowledge
reticence; taciturnity; being of few words