家か内ない

か

な

い

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

(my) wife

humble (kenjougo)

Only with reading かない

Humble term used to refer to one's own wife when speaking to someone outside the family. Not used for someone else's wife.

家か内ないは今いま、買かい物ものに出でています。
My wife is out shopping right now.

noun

inside the home; one's family

Refers to the interior of a house or to the members of one's household. Less common in modern conversation; 家の中 or 家族 are more usual.

家か内ないのことは家か内ないで決きめる。
Family matters are decided within the family.

Usage patterns

家か内ないに〈事こと〉を相そう談だんするto discuss a matter with one's wife
引ひっ越こしのことは家か内ないに相そう談だんしてから決きめます。
I'll decide about the move after discussing it with my wife.
〈人ひと〉に家か内ないを紹しょう介かいするto introduce one's wife to someone
同どう僚りょうに家か内ないを紹しょう介かいした。
I introduced my wife to my coworker.
家か内ないを連つれて〈場ば所しょ〉へ行いくto go somewhere together with one's wife
週しゅう末まつは家か内ないを連つれて温おん泉せんへ行いきます。
This weekend I'm going to a hot spring with my wife.

Kanji

家house, home, family
内inside, within, between

Related words

妻つまN5sense 1
妻 is the neutral, register-flexible word for one's own wife, while 家内 is specifically humble and only used when speaking to outsiders about one's own wife.
家か族ぞくN5sense 2
家族 is the everyday word for 'family', while 家内 in the sense of 'household/family' is rare and sounds formal or literary.
女にょう房ぼうN2sense 1
女房 is a casual, somewhat old-fashioned way (often used by older men) to refer to one's own wife, whereas 家内 is more formal and polite.
嫁よめN2
家内 is a humble term a man uses for his own wife, while 嫁 in this sense is dialectal and rustic rather than humble.
嫁よめさん
家内 is a humble, somewhat formal way to refer to one's own wife in front of others, while 嫁さん is casual and warm.

Opposites

夫おっとN5sense 1
夫 means 'husband', the opposite spouse to the wife referred to by 家内.

Politeness

奥おくさんpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1
奥さん is the polite term used for someone else's wife, while 家内 is the humble term used only for one's own wife.
女にょう房ぼうplainN2
家内 is the humble term a man uses for his own wife in formal speech, whereas 女房 is a plainer, more colloquial word for the same relationship.
奥おく様さまplainN2
奥様 respectfully refers to someone else's wife, whereas 家内 is the humble term a speaker uses for their own wife when talking to outsiders.
妻つまplainN5
家内 is a humble, somewhat old-fashioned way to refer to one's own wife, whereas 妻 is the neutral modern term.

Don't confuse with

嫁よめN2sense 1
嫁 can colloquially mean 'wife' like 家内, but its core meaning is 'bride' or 'daughter-in-law' from the perspective of the husband's parents, which 家内 never means.
家か庭てい内ない
家内 looks similar to 家庭内 but is a different word meaning 'household' or, informally, 'my wife', not 'within the family'.
うちN5
内 alone can informally mean 'my wife' in speech, but 家内 is the standard, more formal word specifically meaning 'my wife'.

Word family

家か内ない中じゅう
whole family; all the members of one's family
家か内ない制せい
home-made; domestic production
家か内ない一いち同どう
all one's family; the whole family
家か内ない安あん全ぜん
family safety; peace and prosperity in the household
家か内ない工こう業ぎょう
household industry; cottage industry

Written forms

家内Usage100%
- かない
  Standard kanji spelling for both senses. The reading やうち is obsolete and not used in modern Japanese.
- やうち
  out-dated reading
やうち
out-dated reading

Etymology

Compound of 家 (house) and 内 (inside). The 'wife' sense developed from the traditional role of a wife managing the household.

Meanings

noun

(my) wife

humble (kenjougo)

Only with reading かない

Humble term used to refer to one's own wife when speaking to someone outside the family. Not used for someone else's wife.

家か内ないは今いま、買かい物ものに出でています。
My wife is out shopping right now.

noun

inside the home; one's family

Refers to the interior of a house or to the members of one's household. Less common in modern conversation; 家の中 or 家族 are more usual.

家か内ないのことは家か内ないで決きめる。
Family matters are decided within the family.

Usage patterns

家か内ないに〈事こと〉を相そう談だんするto discuss a matter with one's wife

引ひっ越こしのことは家か内ないに相そう談だんしてから決きめます。

I'll decide about the move after discussing it with my wife.

〈人ひと〉に家か内ないを紹しょう介かいするto introduce one's wife to someone

同どう僚りょうに家か内ないを紹しょう介かいした。

I introduced my wife to my coworker.

家か内ないを連つれて〈場ば所しょ〉へ行いくto go somewhere together with one's wife

週しゅう末まつは家か内ないを連つれて温おん泉せんへ行いきます。

This weekend I'm going to a hot spring with my wife.

Related words

妻つまN5sense 1

妻 is the neutral, register-flexible word for one's own wife, while 家内 is specifically humble and only used when speaking to outsiders about one's own wife.

家か族ぞくN5sense 2

家族 is the everyday word for 'family', while 家内 in the sense of 'household/family' is rare and sounds formal or literary.

女にょう房ぼうN2sense 1

女房 is a casual, somewhat old-fashioned way (often used by older men) to refer to one's own wife, whereas 家内 is more formal and polite.

嫁よめN2

家内 is a humble term a man uses for his own wife, while 嫁 in this sense is dialectal and rustic rather than humble.

嫁よめさん

家内 is a humble, somewhat formal way to refer to one's own wife in front of others, while 嫁さん is casual and warm.

Politeness

奥おくさんpolite 丁寧語N5sense 1

奥さん is the polite term used for someone else's wife, while 家内 is the humble term used only for one's own wife.

女にょう房ぼうplainN2

家内 is the humble term a man uses for his own wife in formal speech, whereas 女房 is a plainer, more colloquial word for the same relationship.

奥おく様さまplainN2

奥様 respectfully refers to someone else's wife, whereas 家内 is the humble term a speaker uses for their own wife when talking to outsiders.

妻つまplainN5

家内 is a humble, somewhat old-fashioned way to refer to one's own wife, whereas 妻 is the neutral modern term.

Don't confuse with

嫁よめN2sense 1

嫁 can colloquially mean 'wife' like 家内, but its core meaning is 'bride' or 'daughter-in-law' from the perspective of the husband's parents, which 家内 never means.

家か庭てい内ない

家内 looks similar to 家庭内 but is a different word meaning 'household' or, informally, 'my wife', not 'within the family'.

うちN5

内 alone can informally mean 'my wife' in speech, but 家内 is the standard, more formal word specifically meaning 'my wife'.