後ご妻さい

also: こうさい

ご

さ

い

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

second wife; subsequent wife

Refers to a wife married after a previous wife, typically after divorce or death. Neutral term, but context may carry social nuance.

彼かれは先せん妻さいと死し別べつした後のち、後ご妻さいを迎むかえた。
After his first wife passed away, he took a second wife.

See all 10 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の後ご妻さいになるto become someone's second wife
彼かの女じょは社しゃ長ちょうの後ご妻さいになった。
She became the company president's second wife.
後ご妻さいに入はいるto marry into a family as the second wife
彼かの女じょは子こ連づれの家か庭ていに後ご妻さいに入はいった。
She married into the family, with children already there, as the second wife.
〈人ひと〉を後ご妻さいに迎むかえるto take someone as one's second wife
彼かれは若わかい女じょ性せいを後ご妻さいに迎むかえた。
He took a young woman as his second wife.

Kanji

後behind, back, later
妻wife, spouse

Related words

後のち添ぞい
後添い is a slightly literary word for a second wife, while 後妻 is the more common, neutral term.

Opposites

先せん妻さい
先妻 is the man's first or former wife, while 後妻 is the wife he married after that marriage ended.

Don't confuse with

継まま母はは
継母 describes a stepmother in relation to her stepchildren, whereas 後妻 describes a woman's status as a man's second wife.

Written forms

後妻Usage100%
- ごさい
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading ごさい is the modern norm.
- こうさい
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.
こうさい
out-dated reading

Etymology

Compound of 後 (go, 'after, later') and 妻 (sai, 'wife'). The reading ごさい is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; こうさい is an older, now obsolete reading.