主しゅ婦ふ

しゅ

ふ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

Refers to a married woman who manages the household, typically not employed outside the home. The term is neutral and widely used.

彼かの女じょは結けっ婚こんしてからずっと主しゅ婦ふをしている。

She has been a housewife ever since she got married.

主しゅ婦ふの仕し事ごとは多た岐きにわたる。

A homemaker's work covers a wide range of tasks.

Usage patterns

主しゅ婦ふ向むけの〈物もの〉aimed at or designed for housewives
この雑ざっ誌しは主しゅ婦ふ向むけの情じょう報ほうが多おおい。
This magazine has a lot of information aimed at housewives.
主しゅ婦ふの間あいだで〈事こと〉が話わ題だいになるto become a hot topic among housewives
その節せつ約やく術じゅつは主しゅ婦ふの間あいだで話わ題だいになっている。
That money-saving technique has become a hot topic among housewives.

Kanji

主lord, chief, master
婦lady, woman, wife

Related words

家か庭てい婦ふ人じん
家庭婦人 is a more formal, somewhat dated term for a housewife, while 主婦 is the everyday neutral word.
専せん業ぎょう主しゅ婦ふN3
主婦 is the general word for a housewife regardless of outside work, while 専業主婦 specifically means she has no outside job.
マダム
主婦 simply means 'housewife' with no stylish connotation, unlike マダム which suggests elegance or foreign flair.

Opposites

主しゅ夫ふ
主婦 refers to a woman who manages the household, while 主夫 is the male counterpart, a househusband.

Counted with

人にん
counter for people

Word family

専せん業ぎょう主しゅ婦ふN3
housewife; full-time homemaker
主しゅ婦ふ層そう
housewife demographic; housewives
主しゅ婦ふ業ぎょう
housework; homemaking; housewifery

Etymology

Compound of 主 (master, main) and 婦 (married woman, lady). The term has been used since the early 20th century to denote a woman who manages a household.

兼けん業ぎょう主しゅ婦ふ

working mother; part-time working housewife

パート主しゅ婦ふ

housewife who works part-time