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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "widow" in Japanese?
未亡人
miboujin
In Japanese, "widow" is 未亡人 (miboujin).
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Pronunciation
MEE-boh-jeen, three syllables, the middle 'bo' held with a touch of weight.
Writing and usage
未亡人 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
未亡人は彼の記憶を称えて庭を植えました。
miboujin ha kano kioku wo tonae te niwa wo ue mashita.
The widow planted a garden in his memory.
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How to remember 未亡人
Miboujin has a heavier, weightier sound in the middle, fitting for the solemn meaning of the word.
Related words
- grandfather 祖父 sofu
- grandmother 祖母 sobo
- uncle おじさん ojisan
- aunt おばさん obasan
- nephew 甥 oi
- niece 姪 mei
- cousin いとこ itoko
- stepfather 継父 mamachichi
- stepmother 継母 mamahaha
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 未亡人
How do you pronounce 未亡人?
MEE-boh-jeen, three syllables, the middle 'bo' held with a touch of weight.
Is 未亡人 formal or casual?
未亡人 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 未亡人 written in Japanese?
未亡人 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as miboujin.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Widow" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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