【妻（つま）】”TSUMA”
Meaning:
wife
Usage:
「僕が料理を、妻が掃除を担当しています。」
（ぼくがりょうりを、つまがそうじをたんとうしています。）
(Boku ga ryōri o, tsuma ga sōji o tantō shite-imasu.)
”I am in charge of cooking, and my wife is in charge of cleaning.”
- When you call your own wife, you say「妻 (つま / tsuma)」 in Japanese. (Some people call their wife 「嫁 (よめ / yome)」, which means someone who marry into men’s family.) When speaking of someone else’s wife, you say 「奥さん (おくさん / oku-san)」or 「奥様 (おくさま / oku-sama)」(This one is formal way to say so).
- When you talk about ex-husband, you put 「元 (もと / moto)」in the beginning of the word: 「元妻 (もとつま / moto tsuma).
- 「僕 (ぼく / boku)」is used by men to mean “I”. For details, please check out the article below.
5 Ways to Say “I” in Japanese
Glossary:
- 僕（ぼく）: I; me *used by men
- 料理（りょうり）: cooking
- 妻（つま）: wife
- 掃除（そうじ）: cleaning; tyding
- ～を担当する（をたんとうする）: to be in charge of
【夫（おっと）】”OTTO”
Meaning:
husband
Usage:
「夫と二人きりで食事に出かけるのは2年ぶり。」
（おっととふたりきりででかけるのはにねんぶり。）
(Otto to futari-kiri de dekakeru no wa ni-nen buri.)
“It’s been two years since I went out for dinner alone with my husband.”
- When you call your own husband, you say「夫 (おっと / otto)」 in Japanese. (Some people call their wife 「旦那 (だんな / danna)」, which, in the past, meant master of the household.) When speaking of someone else’s husband, you say 「旦那さん (だんなさん / danna-san)」or 「旦那様 (だんなさま / danna-sama)」(This one is a formal way to say so).
- When you talk about ex-husband, you put 「元 (もと / moto)」in the beginning of the word: 「元夫 (もとおっと / moto otto).
Glossary:
- 夫（おっと）: husband
- ～と: with […]
- 二人きり（ふたりきり）: two alone; just the two of them
- ～きり（きり）: […] alone; just […]
- 食事（しょくじ）: meal; breakfast; lunch; dinner
- 食事に出かける（しょくじにでかける）: to go out for dinner (or other meals)
- ～ぶり: for the first time in [period of time]
【娘（むすめ）】”MUSUME”
Meaning:
daughter
Usage:
「娘の先生はすごく感じが良い。」
（むすめのせんせいはすごくかんじがいい。）
(Musume no sensei wa sugoku kanji ga ii.)
“My daughter’s teacher is very nice.”
- When you call your own daughter, you say「娘 (むすめ / musume)」 in Japanese. When speaking of someone else’s daughter, you just add 「さん (san)」like 「娘さん (むすめさん / musume-san)」.
- When you talk about two or more daughters, you say 「娘たち (むすめたち / musume-tachi)」.
Glossary:
- 娘（むすめ）: cough
- ～の …: to cough
- 先生（せんせい）: while; during
- 娘の先生（むすめのせんせい）: to rest; to take a sick leave; to take a day off; to be absent
- すごく: to be better doing […]; should do […]
- 感じが良い（かんじがいい）: nice person; good person; pleasant person
【息子（むすこ）】”MUSUKO”
Meaning:
son
Usage:
「息子が寝た後にNetflixを見る時間が楽しみで仕方ない。」
（むすこがねたあとにねっとふりっくすをみるじかんがたのしみでしかたない。）
(Musuko ga neta ato ni netto-furikkusu o miru jikan ga tanoshimi de sikatanai.)
“I can’t wait to have time to watch Netflix after my son goes to bed.”
- When you call your own son, you say「息子 (むすこ / musuko)」 in Japanese. When speaking of someone else’s son, you just add 「さん (san)」like 「息子さん (むすこさん / musuko-san)」.
- When you talk about two or more sons, you say 「息子たち (むすこたち / musuko-tachi)」.
Glossary:
- 息子（むすこ）: son
- 寝る（ねる）: to sleep
- ～した後に（したあとに）: after doing […]
- 見る（みる）: to see, to look, to watch *When it comes to “watch” , the kanji of「観る」is also used.
- ～する時間（するじかん）: time to do […]
- ～が楽しみで仕方ない（がたのしみでしかたない）: cannot wait to do […]; be looking forward to doing […]
【義理のお母さん（ぎりのおかあさん）】”GIRI NO OKĀSAN”
Meaning:
mother in law
Usage:
「義理のお母さんと一緒に旅行に行く。」
（ぎりのおかあさんといっしょにりょこうにいく。）
(Giri no okāsan to issho ni ryokō ni iku.)
“I’m going on a trip with my mother-in-law.”
- This word can be used in the same way when you are talking about your own mother-in-law or someone else’s mother-in-law. If you want to be more polite, you can say 「義理のお母さま (ぎりのおかあさま / giri no okāsama)」. (This expression is too polite, so you don’t get to use it that often in everyday conversation.)
Glossary:
- 義理の～（ぎりの）: […] in law
- お母さん（おかあさん）: mother
- 一緒に（いっしょに）: with […]; together with […]
- 旅行（りょこう）: trip
- 旅行に行く（りょこうにいく）: to go on a trip
【義理のお父さん（ぎりのおとうさん）】”GIRI NO OTŌSAN”
Meaning:
father in law
Usage:
「義理のお父さんの作った野菜が届いた。」
（ぎりのおとうさんのつくったやさいがとどいた。）
(Giri no otōsan no tsukutta yasai ga todoita.)
“The vegetables that my father-in-law grew have just arrived.”
- This word can be used in the same way when you are talking about your own father-in-law or someone else’s father-in-law. If you want to be more polite, you can say 「義理のお父さま (ぎりのおとうさま / giri no otōsama)」. (This expression is too polite, so you don’t get to use it that often in everyday conversation.)
Glossary:
- 義理の～（ぎりの）: […] in law
- お父さん（おとうさん）: father
- 作る（つくる）: to make *In this sentence, it means “to grow”.
- 野菜（やさい）: vegetables
- 届く（とどく）: to arrive; to reach
【義理の兄弟（ぎりのきょうだい）】”GIRI NO KYŌDAI”
Meaning:
brother in law
Usage:
「義理の兄弟とは年に1回しか会わない。」
（ぎりのきょうだいとはねんにいっかいしかあわない。）
(Guru bi kyōdai to wa nen ni ikkai shika awa-nai.)
“I only see my brothers-in-law once a year.”
- 「兄弟 (きょうだい / kyōdai)」literally means “brothers”, but you can use it to refer to siblings. It is not strange to use it when you refer to a “sisters-in-law” relationship.
Glossary:
- 義理の～（ぎりの）: […] in law
- 兄弟（きょうだい）: brothers; siblings
- 年に～回（ねんに～かい）: […] time(s) in a year
- ～しか: only […]
- 会う（あう）: to meet; to see people
- ～ない: do / does / did not do […]