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未亡人 (みぼうじん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun
widow
Refers to a woman whose husband has died and who has not remarried. The term can carry a somewhat formal or literary tone; in casual contexts, 寡婦 (かふ) or simply 未亡人 is used, but it is not offensive.
じん
と
し
て
、
彼かの
女じょ
は
一人ひとり
で
子こ
供ども
を
育そだ
て
た
。
As a widow, she raised her children alone.
Kanji 亡 deceased, the late, dying Similar words 寡か 婦ふ Also means 'widow', but is more formal and often used in legal or official contexts. 未亡人 is more common in everyday language.
遺い 族ぞく Means 'bereaved family', not specifically a widow. 未亡人 refers only to the surviving wife.
Etymology From 未 (not yet) + 亡 (die) + 人 (person), literally 'person who has not yet died', originally a self-deprecating term used by widows implying they should have followed their husband in death. The modern meaning is simply 'widow' without that connotation.
