老婦|ろうふroufu[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounold woman

• Synonym老女ろうじょWrittenWritten and objective like the headword, and interchangeable with it for an elderly woman; also the chief lady-in-waiting of a samurai household, a sense 「老婦」 lacks.
• Synonym老婆ろうばWrittenWritten word for an aged woman, common in novels and narrative prose and carrying a sense of distance; close to 「老婦」 but never used to address someone to their face.
• SynonymばばCasualColloquial and rude, a slur for an old woman; avoid using it about people.
• Related嫗おうなWrittenArchaic written word for an old woman, paired with 「翁」 for an old man; almost never used in modern Japanese.
• Related姥うばWrittenArchaic word for an old woman, frequent in folk tales; also names the Noh mask of an old woman.
• RelatedばばあCasualColloquial and rude, a slur for an old woman; avoid using it about people.
• Related老媼ろうおうWrittenExtremely literary word for an old woman; quite rare.
• Antonym少女しょうじょNeutralAntonym: a young girl; the neutral counterpart to the aged 「老婦」.
• Antonym乙女おとめWrittenWritten word for a maiden or unmarried girl with an archaic, romantic flavor, as in 「乙女心」; opposite to 「老婦」 in age.

In writing, an aged woman is 「老婦」, often as 「老婦人」; 「老女」 and 「老婆」 also work, while 「嫗」「姥」「老媼」 are archaic or highly literary. In everyday speech say 「おばあさん」; the antonym is 「少女」.

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

1. 老おいた女性じょせい。