Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 配はい 偶ぐう 者しゃ がいる someone has a spouse (is married)
配はい 偶ぐう 者しゃ を 扶ふ 養よう する to financially support one's spouse
He financially supports his spouse.
配はい 偶ぐう 者しゃ に 先さき 立だ たれる to be survived by one's deceased spouse (one's spouse dies first)
She lost her spouse at a young age.
配はい 偶ぐう 者しゃ を 亡な くす to lose one's spouse (through death)
My grandmother has been living alone since she lost her spouse.
Kanji 配 distribute, spouse, exile 偶 accidentally, even number, couple Related words· 6 夫 specifically means 'husband' and is the common, casual term, while 配偶者 is the formal, gender-neutral legal term for either spouse.
妻 specifically means 'wife' and is the common, casual term, while 配偶者 is the formal, gender-neutral legal term for either spouse.
パートナー is a modern, informal loanword that can mean a spouse or any life partner, whereas 配偶者 is strictly the formal legal term for a married spouse.
配偶者 is the common modern word for 'spouse', whereas 偶 is a rare literary term for the same idea that is almost never used by itself.
Show 2 more Show fewer 配偶者 is the formal, legal term for a spouse, while 結婚相手 is the everyday word for the person one marries or is married to.
配偶者 is the neutral, legal/administrative term for one's spouse, while 伴侶 is more literary and emphasizes the emotional bond of lifelong companionship.
Etymology Compound of 配偶 (haigū, 'marriage, pairing') + 者 (sha, 'person'). 配偶 is from Chinese, combining 配 (distribute, match) and 偶 (pair, spouse).
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