Honorific term for someone else's wife, or used as a suffix after a surname to mean 'Mrs'. Not used for one's own wife.
田中夫人はとても親切な方です。
Mrs. Tanaka is a very kind person.
社長夫人がパーティーに出席された。
The company president's wife attended the party.
wife of a nobleman
Archaic use referring specifically to the wife of a nobleman.
古文書には、その貴族の夫人についての記述がある。
In the ancient documents, there is a description of that nobleman's wife.
imperial consort of the third rank
Only with reading ぶにん
Archaic term from the ritsuryō system for a consort of the emperor of the third rank. Also read ぶにん.
律令制では、夫人は天皇の后妃の一つであった。
Under the ritsuryō system, 夫人 (ぶにん) was one of the ranks of imperial consorts.
Mrs. Smith came to the party.
countess
marchioness