男おとこやもめ

お

と

こ

や

も

め

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

widower; divorced man not remarried

Refers to a man who has lost his wife through death or divorce and has not remarried. Often contrasted with 女やもめ (widow/divorced woman).

Expressions

男おとこやもめに蛆うじがわくa widower soon goes to seed; a man alone becomes untidy

Kanji

男male
寡widow, minority, few
鰥widower, unmarried man

Related words

女おんなやもめ
The female counterpart: a widow or divorced woman who has not remarried. 男やもめ is specifically male.
独どく身しん
A neutral term for 'single' or 'unmarried', without the nuance of loss or pity that 男やもめ can carry.

Written forms

男おとこやもめUsage95%
Standard spelling; the kanji 男 and kana やもめ together clearly indicate a male widower or unmarried man.
男寡おとこやもめUsage5%
Rare kanji spelling using 寡 (widow/widower); less common than 男やもめ.
男おとこ鰥やもめ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form with 鰥 (widower); marked as rarely used kanji form.

Etymology

Compound of 男 (man) and やもめ (widow/widower). The word やもめ originally referred to a person without a spouse, and the prefix 男 specifies the male gender.