woman · wife

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 婦 is associated with women or wives; its on-reading is ふ.
• Basic usage: 婦人(ふじん) refers to an adult woman, while 主婦(しゅふ) means a homemaker or housewife.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• An adult woman and a role in the household
  • 婦人服売り場 means the women's clothing department. 婦人 identifies the category of adult women rather than a relationship as someone's wife.
  • 主婦として means as a homemaker. 主婦 focuses on a household role, as in the example of doing housework while writing novels.