主婦
shufu[ɕɨɸɯ̟]
The Japanese word for housewife is 主婦, pronounced shufu.
主婦 is a noun used to describe a female head of household.
Meaning: female head of household (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 主婦 can refer to any woman managing a household, 専業主婦 specifically refers to a full-time housewife whose sole occupation is managing the home, as opposed to one who also works outside the home. By swapping the last character to 夫 (husband), the term becomes 主夫, which refers to a man who manages the household.
How do you pronounce it?
shufu
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the term 主婦 carries a connotation of 'manager' or 'administrator' of the home's finances and logistics, not just someone who performs chores.
- While 主夫 describes a stay-at-home father, it is often treated as a novelty or a joke in media because the role is so strongly associated with 主婦.
- The word 主婦 is often used as a collective term in marketing and surveys to describe a specific demographic of 'homemakers' regardless of their actual marital status.
Examples in context
- 私は主婦です。I am a housewife.This sentence is useful for stating your own occupation using 主婦.Tatoeba #156092 by bunbuku, translation #258443 by brauliobezerra
- ３０歳、専業主婦です。I'm a thirty-year-old housewife.This sentence is useful for describing yourself as a thirty-year-old housewife using 主婦.Tatoeba #10099899 by small_snow, translation #5853127 by CK
- 私の母は主婦のかがみだと思う。I think that my mother is the perfect housewife.This sentence is useful for expressing an opinion about a mother being a perfect housewife using 主婦.Tatoeba #1068823 by bunbuku, translation #2658383 by WestofEden
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their family backgrounds.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんは、お仕事は何をされていますか？Misaki-san wa, oshigoto wa nani o sarete imasu ka?Misaki, what kind of work do you do?
- 美咲 Misaki私は主婦なので、家事をしています。Watashi wa shufu nanode, kaji o shite imasu.I am a housewife, so I do the housework.
- 蓮 Renそうなんですね。大変だと思います。Sō nan desu ne. Taihen da to omoimasu.I see. I imagine it's hard work.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます。でも楽しいですよ。Arigatō gozaimasu. Demo tanoshii desu yo.Thank you. But it is enjoyable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “housewife” translations and entries 主婦, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
