家内|かないkanai[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noun(my) wife
   家内かないは海外旅行かいがいりょこう中ちゅうで、よく電話でんわをかけてくる。↗

   My wife often rings me up, while she travels abroad.
2. nouninside the home; one's family

• SynonymつまNeutralNeutral word for wife, fine in writing or when speaking to outsiders; 「家内」 is the traditional humble way to refer to one's own wife.
• Synonym女房にょうぼうCasualColloquial term for one's own wife, as in 「うちの女房」; affectionate or rough-edged, and much more casual than 「家内」.
• Synonym奥さんおくさんNeutralEveryday way to refer to someone else's wife, more casual than 「奥様」, and sometimes used for your own wife too; 「家内」 is the humble choice.
• Synonym夫人ふじんFormalRespectful term for the wife of a high-ranking person, often used as a suffix as in 「首相夫人」; never used about your own wife.
• Synonym愚妻ぐさいFormalHumble term for one's own wife, self-deprecating to a stronger degree than 「家内」; rarely heard in everyday conversation.
• Synonym細君さいくんNeutralOld-fashioned word for another person's wife or one's own; 「家内」 is mainly for referring to your own wife when talking to outsiders.
• Related奥様おくさまFormalPolite way to address or refer to someone else's wife, as in 「奥様はお元気ですか」; more formal than 「奥さん」. 「家内」 is for your own wife.
• RelatedミセスNeutralLoanword for a married woman, also an honorific placed before a surname; mostly seen in magazines or clothing categories, never a humble term.
• RelatedかかあCasualCasual way to refer to your own or someone else's wife, as in 「うちのかかあ」; can sound affectionate or downright rude — far more casual than 「家内」.
• RelatedかみさんCasualColloquial for your own or someone else's wife, with a friendly feel; also used for merchants' and craftsmen's wives. 「家内」 humbly refers to your own wife.
• RelatedワイフNeutralLoanword for wife with a Western or jokey flavor, generally avoided in formal settings; when speaking humbly of your own wife, say 「家内」.
• Related令室れいしつFormalRespectful term for the other person's wife, very formal and mostly seen in letters; it points the opposite way from 「家内」, which is humble.
• Related令夫人れいふじんFormalRespectful term for someone's wife, even more formal than 「奥様」; reserved for formal occasions.
• Related令閨れいけいFormalExtremely rare honorific for someone's wife, found in formal letters and formal writing; in speech people normally say 「奥様」.
• Related御新造ごしんぞうFormalOld honorific for the wives of lower-ranking samurai and the like, now mostly seen in period dramas; 「家内」 is for your own wife.
• Related妻女さいじょWrittenWritten-style word for a wife, or a wife and daughters; old-fashioned in tone and carries no humble nuance.
• Related妻室さいしつWrittenWritten-style word for a wife, old-fashioned and rare in modern daily use; when speaking of your own wife to outsiders, use 「妻」 or 「家内」.

To speak of your own wife to outsiders, the neutral, safe choice is 「妻」; 「家内」 is the traditional humble alternative. Colloquially, say 「女房」 or 「かみさん」. For someone else’s wife use 「奥さん」, or the more formal 「奥様」; on formal occasions 「令夫人」 or 「夫人」. 「ミセス」 is a modern loanword seen in magazines and clothing categories, and 「ワイフ」 has a Western or jokey ring unsuited to formal settings. 「御新造」「妻女」「妻室」 are old-fashioned and rare today.

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

1. 家いえの中なか。
2. 家族かぞく。
3. 特とくに妻つまのことを言ゆう。