Pictograph of a hand grabbing a woman's hair to take her as a wife. In ancient China, women of marriageable age wore hairpins (compare with 每).
Components
Notes
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Historical Evolution
妻
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
妻
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
妻
Bronze
Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
妻
Bronze
Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
妻
Bronze
Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
妻
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
妻
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
妻
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
妻
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
妻
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
妻
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
妻
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
妻
Regular
Modern
Chinese
妻 [qī]
wife
妻 [qì]
to marry off (a daughter)
Japanese
noun
- mistress; kept woman; concubine
- close female servant (orig. meaning)
noun
- wife
- garnish (esp. one served with sashimi); trimmings
- accompaniment; side (remark)
one's wife
my dear; dear; honey
n-pref
- female
- smaller (of the two); weaker
noun
- woman
- wife
Korean
처 [妻]
wife; A man's female partner in marriage.
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
妻 さい
Sai unclassified name
妻 たかづま
Takazuma surname
妻 つま
Tsuma unclassified name
妻 つまさき
Tsumasaki surname
CHINESE WORDS (52)
妻子 [qīzǐ] #518
wife and children
夫妻 [fūqī] #3,390
husband and wife
前妻 [qiánqī] #3,581
ex-wife
未婚妻 [wèihūnqī] #4,023
fiancée
妻儿 [qī'ér] #24,297
wife and child
妻儿 [qī'ér] #24,297
wife and child
贤妻良母 [xiánqīliángmǔ] #27,864
a good wife and loving mother
贤妻良母 [xiánqīliángmǔ] #27,864
a good wife and loving mother
妻妾 [qīqiè] #44,781
wives and concubines (of a polygamous man)
娶妻 [qǔqī] #38,120
to take a wife
42 more
items
JAPANESE WORDS (104)
⭐ 妻 [つま] #1,130
wife
⭐ 東 [ひがし] #1,784
east
⭐ 端 [はし] #2,039
end (e.g. of street)
⭐ 夫婦 [ふうふ] #2,247
married couple
⭐ 女神 [めがみ] #3,358
goddess
⭐ 夫妻 [ふさい] #6,923
husband and wife
⭐ 稲妻 [いなずま] #10,442
lightning
⭐ 妻子 [さいし] #18,001
wife and children
⭐ 人妻 [ひとづま] #20,828
married woman
正妻 [せいさい] #21,219
legal wife
94 more
items