扶養（ふよう、fuyou）
- support

The Japanese word 扶養, pronounced ふよう (fuyou), generally translates to "support," "maintenance," or "dependent." It encompasses the idea of providing financial or other forms of assistance to someone who relies on you. This can include covering living expenses, healthcare, and education. It also can describe the state of being a dependent, someone who relies on someone else for support. The specific meaning depends on the context, but the core concept revolves around providing and receiving aid.

⚫︎ 彼は両親を扶養しています。 Translation: He supports his parents. ⚫︎ 彼女は夫の扶養に入っています。 Translation: She is a dependent of her husband. ⚫︎ 会社は従業員の家族を扶養しています。 Translation: The company provides support for the employee's family.

扶養 is most commonly used in formal settings, such as when discussing taxes, employment benefits, or legal matters. It is a key term in understanding Japanese financial and social support systems. While it can appear in less formal conversations, it often carries a weight of responsibility or obligation. You would use it when talking about someone's financial responsibilities toward others, or when describing someone's dependence on someone else for financial or other forms of support.

扶養 is written using the kanji 扶養. The hiragana reading is ふよう. There is no other common way to write this word, and the okurigana (suffix hiragana) is consistent.

⚫︎ 支援 (しえん - shien): Support, assistance. More general term. ⚫︎ 援助 (えんじょ - enjo): Aid, assistance. More formal. ⚫︎ 養う (やしなう - yashinau): To support, to provide for (usually used for family).

⚫︎ 自立 (じりつ - jiritsu): Independence, self-reliance. ⚫︎ 独立 (どくりつ - dokuritsu): Independence.

彼は妻と子供を扶養しています。 ・Translation: He supports his wife and children. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the responsibility of providing for a family financially.

私は税金上の扶養から外れました。 ・Translation: I was removed from being a tax dependent. ・Explanation: This sentence refers to the legal and financial context of being a dependent for tax purposes.

The kanji 扶 (fu) means "to help," "to support," or "to assist." The kanji 養 (you) means "to nurture," "to raise," or "to support." Together, 扶養 combines these meanings to represent the act of providing support and care, particularly financial support, to someone in need.