Friday, January 7, 2011

Need a new Japanese word equivalent to the English word " husband"

In Japan, there is the traditional idea of 家長/kacho, although a lot of women, regardless of age, dislike it. 家 indicates a family and 長 means a leader of a group or a person who controls a group. So, 家長/kacho means a person who controls his family. In other words, the person makes a final decision of what to do and has to take responsibility for it in a family living together. The person is usually the oldest man in a family. When your husband is 家長/kacho, you are required to follow his decisions and respect him as 家長/kacho.

By the way, in the Japanese language, 夫(otto), 主人(shujin)/ご主人, 旦那(danna)/旦那さん and 亭主(teishu) are often used as the meaning of a husband. All the words mean husband in English, but they have different nuances. On top of that, these words aren't interchangeable in some situations. We chose the best word as the situation demands. 

In my opinion, 夫/otto is the most neutral word among them. 夫/otto hardly has any nuance. You can often find the word "夫/otto" in newspapers and essays, etc. I think that 夫/otto is often used when you want to describe the person/relationship objectively. However, 夫/orro isn't a very common word in daily conversation and emails between friends. I don't know why.

主人/ご主人(the usage: 私の主人/my husband, 彼女 or あなたのご主人/her or your husband) is the most frequently used in daily life. Actually, the word 主人/shujin reflects the aforementioned traditional idea of 家長/kacho. 主人/shujin means a person who controls a group. In the family, 主人/shujin means husband, since a husband is supposed to control his family based on that idea. These days, many women, including myself, don't want to use the word 主人/shujin largely because the word makes us think of gender inequality based on traditional roles.

Under these circumstances, 旦那 danna/旦那さん(the usage: 私の旦那/my husband, 彼女 or あなたの旦那さん/her or your husband)has become very common since the word does not make women think of gender inequality and the traditional idea. However, this word seems to give some older women a negative impression. This is because in the past, a concubine's husband (is not legally husband) was often referred to as 旦那danna/旦那さん. For example, at the time, if a man had a wife and a concubine, he was referred to as 主人/shujin when he was with his wife, and he was referred to as 旦那/danna when he was with his concubine.

Personally, I often use 旦那/旦那さん, but when I talk with unfamiliar people, especially when I address their husbands, I use 主人/ご主人. As for 亭主/teishu, it has become less common and is also controversial. How bothersome! I want a new Japanese equivalent to the English word "husband". I'm wondering whether or not the word "husband" has any nuances.

Languages are cultural. Some Japanese words and expressions deeply reflect Japanese culture, which sometimes bothers me.