also: やもめ · やまめ
widow; divorced woman not remarried; unmarried woman
Primarily refers to a woman who has lost her husband and not remarried. Can also refer to a divorced woman who remains single, or, in some contexts, an unmarried woman. The reading やもめ is common in everyday language, while かふ is more formal. The term 女やもめ specifically emphasizes a female widow, contrasting with 鰥 (やもめ) for a widower.
See also: 女やもめ (おんなやもめ) · やもめ
She became a widow at a young age.
She became a widow at a young age.
Many women became widows because of the war.
She raised her children as a widow.
女やもめ specifically emphasizes that the widow is a woman, whereas 寡婦 is the neutral written term without that emphasis.
鰥 refers to a widower (a man who has lost his wife), the male counterpart to 寡婦, which refers to a widow.
Standard kanji form; the reading かふ is the most common modern pronunciation.
Alternate reading for the same kanji form; やもめ is a native Japanese reading, often used in everyday speech.
Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.
Abbreviated kanji form; rarely used independently.
Rarely used kanji form for widow.
A Sino-Japanese reading of Chinese 寡婦, “widow,” literally a woman left without a husband.