妻（つま、tsuma）
- wife

The Japanese word 妻妻（つ [tsu]ま [ma]） means "wife". It refers to a married woman in relation to her husband. It is a common and respectful term used to address or refer to one's own wife or someone else's wife. It signifies the role and relationship within a marital union.

⚫︎私の妻 Translation: My wife. ⚫︎田中さんの妻はとても美しいです。 Translation: Mr./Ms. Tanaka's wife is very beautiful. ⚫︎彼は妻と映画を見に行きました。 Translation: He went to see a movie with his wife.

⚫︎You can use 妻妻 when talking about your own wife, or when referring to someone else's wife. ⚫︎When talking about your own wife, it's generally a safe and respectful word to use in various contexts. ⚫︎When referring to someone else's wife, it's considered polite. ⚫︎Be mindful of context; in some very formal situations, other more formal terms for "wife" might be preferred, but 妻妻 is widely applicable.

⚫︎The word 妻妻 is primarily written using the kanji 妻. ⚫︎The reading is つ [tsu]ま [ma] in hiragana. ⚫︎There is no variation in okurigana.

⚫︎奥さん: This is a polite and respectful term for "wife," especially when referring to someone else's wife. ⚫︎家内: This is another common term for "wife," often used by the husband when talking to others about his wife, particularly in the workplace or with acquaintances. It literally means "person inside the house" but is a common and polite way to refer to one's wife.

⚫︎There isn't a direct single antonym for "wife." However, words that might represent the opposite of being married, or the marital status, could be considered related. ⚫︎未婚 (み [mi]こ [ko]ん [n]) - unmarried ⚫︎独身 (どく [doku]しん [shin]) - single (unmarried)

私の妻は料理が得意です。 ・Translation: My wife is good at cooking. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 妻妻 to describe the speaker's own wife, and the context is everyday conversation.

山田さんの妻は看護師です。 ・Translation: Ms. Yamada's wife is a nurse. ・Explanation: Here, 妻妻 is used to refer to someone else's wife, specifically Ms. Yamada's.

The kanji 妻妻 is composed of two parts. The upper part is a simplified form of a character relating to "woman" or "female." The lower part originally represented "hand" and "broom," with the idea of a woman’s role as the one who keeps the house clean, but this understanding is not necessarily emphasized today. The combination implies a woman in the role of a wife.