おかみさん

お

か

み

さ

ん

Meanings

noun

missus; wife (of a shopkeeper, landlord, etc.)

usually written using kana alonefamiliar language

Familiar, somewhat old-fashioned term for a married woman, especially the wife of a shopkeeper, landlord, or master. Originally an honorific, now used in casual or friendly address. Often written in kana.

隣となりのおかみさんがいつも親しん切せつにしてくれる。
The missus next door is always kind to me.
あの店みせのおかみさんはとても気きさくだ。
The wife of that shop is very friendly.

Kanji

上above, up
内inside, within, between
儀ceremony, rule, affair

Related words

女将おかみ
女将 is the formal, traditional term for a female proprietress of an inn or restaurant, while おかみさん is a more casual, everyday way to refer to the same woman, often used for neighborhood shopkeepers.
ママさん
おかみさん is a traditional term for the proprietress of a shop, inn, or restaurant, while ママさん specifically refers to the owner of a bar or snack club.

Written forms

お上かみさん
Kanji form using 上; less common than kana.
お内か儀みさん
Rare kanji form using 内儀; may be encountered in older texts.

Etymology

Derived from 御上 (okami, 'honorable above') with the honorific さん, originally a respectful term for a superior's wife. The exact historical development is uncertain.