老婆|ろうばrouba[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounold woman
   私はその老婆ろうばを助たすけることに同意どういした。↗

   I consented to help the old lady.

• SynonymおばあさんNeutralMeans grandmother (either side of the family) and, broadly, any elderly woman; the most common choice, while 「老婆」 is a written, objective label.
• SynonymばあさんCasualA casual, slightly brusque way to refer to an old woman; 「老婆」 leans more toward written style.
• SynonymばばCasualA rude, insulting way to call an old woman, carrying strong contempt.
• Synonym老婦ろうふWrittenA written, fairly infrequent word for an elderly woman — not an archaic one; similar in meaning to 「老婆」.
• Synonym老女ろうじょWrittenLike 「嫗」 above, an archaic term for an old woman, seen in classics such as 「竹取物語」.
• Related嫗おうなWrittenAn archaic word for an old woman, read 「おうな」 and found mostly in classical texts; as 「老女」 (「ろうじょ」) it also survives in modern writing.
• Related姥うばWrittenAn archaic word for an old woman; also the name of the old-woman mask in noh. Rare in modern Japanese.
• RelatedおばあさまFormalThe honorific form of 「お祖母さん」: one's grandmother or an older woman; use it when politeness matters.
• RelatedばばあCasualA rude, insulting way to call an old woman, carrying strong contempt.
• Related老媼ろうおうWrittenA written word for an old woman, now rarely used; objective descriptions usually prefer 「老婦」 or 「高齢女性」.
• Antonym若者わかものNeutralA young person, of either sex; the age opposite of 「老婆」.
• Antonym少女しょうじょNeutralA girl or young female; the youthful counterpart to the elderly woman that 「老婆」 denotes.
• Antonym乙女おとめWrittenA maiden in her prime, with literary and pure overtones; the written opposite of 「老婆」.

In everyday speech say 「おばあさん」; to be polite, 「おばあ様」. 「老婆」 fits objective description in novels, while news reports prefer 「高齢女性」. For rudeness there is 「ばばあ」. 「嫗」 and 「姥」 are archaic; 「老媼」 and 「老婦」 are rare written words. Antonyms include 「若者」 and 「少女」.

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

1. 年としを取とった婦人ふじん。