夫
[o̞t̚to̞]
The Japanese phrase for "my husband" is 夫, which is used by a married woman to refer to her male spouse.
The term 夫 is a neutral way to refer to one's husband.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more informal or colloquial settings, you might hear 旦那, whereas 主人 is a traditional and humble way to refer to a husband when speaking to others.
How does it change in a sentence?
夫 is a noun and does not change its form based on whether the speaker is talking about one husband or multiple husbands. Context or a counter would clarify plurality.
Did you know?
- The term 主人 literally translates to 'master' or 'owner'. While traditional, some modern Japanese speakers avoid it to move away from the implication that a husband is the head or owner of the household.
- While 夫 is the neutral term, it is rarely used when speaking directly to the husband. Instead, a wife will use his name, a nickname or a term like あなた, which means 'you'.
- The word 夫 shares a surprising historical link with the word 端, meaning 'edge' or 'side', based on the concept of a person being 'by one's side'.
Examples in context
- 夫はいい人よ。My husband is a good man.This sentence is useful for describing a husband's character using 夫.Tatoeba #9029056 by small_snow, translation #2230333 by Hybrid
- 私の夫は医者です。My husband is a doctor.This sentence is useful for stating a husband's profession using 夫.Tatoeba #8637335 by bunbuku, translation #2863855 by CK
- トムは私の夫です。Tom is my husband.This sentence is useful for identifying a husband by name using 夫.Tatoeba #11436388 by bunbuku, translation #1868186 by CK
- 39 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two acquaintances are talking about their families at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari夫は今、仕事中です。Otto wa ima, shigoto-chū desu.My husband is working right now.
- 蓮 Renそうなんですね。お忙しいんですね。Sō nan desu ne. O-isogashii n desu ne.I see. He must be busy.
- 陽葵 Himariはい。週末は休みですよ。Hai. Shūmatsu wa yasumi desu yo.Yes. He is off on the weekend.
- 蓮 Renそれは良かったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That's good to hear.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 夫, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 夫, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
