かかあ天でん下か

か

あ

で

ん

か

Meanings

wife-dominated household; henpecked husband

Describes a household where the wife holds the real power, often contrasted with 亭主関白. Can be used humorously or critically.

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
下below, down, descend
嚊breathing through the nose, snorting, wife
嬶wife (vulg), (kokuji)

Related words

亭てい主しゅ関かん白ぱく
The opposite: a household where the husband is the boss and the wife is subservient.

Written forms

かかあ天でん下か
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling.
カカア天でん下か
Katakana variant of the first part; sometimes used for emphasis or in informal writing.
嚊かかあ天でん下か
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 嚊 for かかあ.
嬶かかあ天でん下か
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 嬶 for かかあ.

Etymology

From かかあ (wife, colloquial) and 天下 (realm, world), literally 'wife's realm'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects a traditional humorous or critical view of domestic power dynamics.