女房|にょうぼうnyoubou[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounwife (esp. one's own wife)
   女房にょうぼうの手ては店員てんいんさんより一回ひとまわり小ちいさい。↗

   My wife's hands are slightly smaller than the shop assistant's.
2. nouncourt lady; female court attache; woman who served at the imperial palace
3. nounwoman (esp. as a love interest)

• SynonymつまNeutralListed as an antonym but actually another word for wife; the true opposites of 「女房」 are 「夫」 and 「亭主」.
• Synonym家内かないNeutralA humble term for mentioning your own wife to outsiders; politer and more modest than 「女房」.
• Synonym奥様おくさまFormalA highly polite honorific for another person's wife or for addressing the lady of the house.
• Synonym奥さんおくさんNeutralEveryday way to refer to someone else's wife; friendlier and less formal than 「奥様」.
• Synonym夫人ふじんWrittenHonorific for another person's wife, often a celebrity's, as in 「大統領夫人」.
• SynonymかかあCasualRough colloquial term for one's own wife with an old Edo downtown flavor; 「女房」 is the more easygoing of the two.
• SynonymワイフCasualLoanword for wife with a light, casual tone; more informal than 「妻」.
• Synonym愚妻ぐさいWrittenWritten, self-deprecating way to refer to one's own wife; rarely used in modern Japanese.
• Synonym令室れいしつFormalHonorific for the other person's wife, used in letters and other formal settings.
• Synonym令夫人れいふじんFormalHonorific for the other person's wife; more widely applicable than 「令室」.
• Synonym令閨れいけいFormalWritten honorific for another person's wife; rarely used today.
• Synonym妻女さいじょWrittenWritten, old-fashioned word for one's wife, or for a wife and daughters; seldom used today.
• Synonym妻室さいしつWrittenWritten term for a wife in general; rare today and without the affectionate feel of 「女房」.
• Synonym細君さいくんWrittenOld-fashioned term for a peer's or subordinate's wife, also used humbly of one's own wife.
• Synonym嫁さんよめさんCasualColloquial, affectionate word for one's wife; common in the Kansai region as well.
• RelatedおかみさんNeutralRefers to the proprietress of a shop or inn; also used for another person's wife.
• RelatedかみさんCasualColloquial term for one's own or another's wife; can also mean a woman shopkeeper.
• Related刀自とじWrittenArchaic honorific for an older woman, as in 「○○刀自」; rare in modern usage.
• Related御新造ごしんぞうWrittenOld honorific for the wife of a samurai or wealthy merchant; essentially unused today.
• Related嫁はんよめはんCasualKansai colloquialism for one's wife, with an affectionate feel; equivalent to 「嫁さん」.
• Antonym亭主ていしゅNeutralAntonym: husband or head of the household, with a colloquial feel; pairs naturally with 「女房」.
• Antonym夫おっとNeutralAntonym: the most neutral word for husband, usable even in formal settings.

「女房」is a relaxed, colloquial word for your own wife. For a neutral tone use 「妻」; humble 「家内」 when telling outsiders about her. For someone else's wife say 「奥さん」, or the politer 「奥様」; 「夫人」 suits a celebrity's wife. For a husband use 「夫」 or 「亭主」; the many written terms like 「愚妻」 and 「令室」 are rare today.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 禁中きんちゅうなどで一人ひとり部屋へやを与あたえられた女官じょかん。また、その部屋へや。
2. 貴人きじんに仕つかえる女性じょせい。
3. 婦人ふじん。女性じょせい。
4. 妻つま。家内かない。