1.
other people (polite); other families; people outside one's own household
A polite, slightly old-fashioned way of referring to people or families other than one's own — outsiders, neighbours, strangers, or members of another household. The honorific suffix さま signals respect or social distance. Often used by parents to teach children to behave properly toward people outside the family ('don't trouble 余所様'), or in formal apologies and self-deprecating speech.
Compound of 余所 ('elsewhere; other place; outside one's own circle') and the honorific suffix 様. Carries an old-fashioned, traditional, or polite tone, especially associated with older speakers and Japanese families with a strong sense of household etiquette.
Usage
- Often used by parents and grandparents teaching children to consider those outside the family.
- Common in phrases about not causing trouble or shame: 余所様に迷惑をかける ('to inconvenience others'), 余所様の目 ('the eyes of others; outside opinion').
- Today some younger speakers may use the plainer 他人 ('other people') or よその人 instead, but 余所様 retains a warm, traditional flavour.
- Compatible with the older Japanese cultural emphasis on the distinction between うち ('inside; one's own group') and そと ('outside; outsiders').
Common collocations
- 余所様に迷惑をかける: to cause trouble for others
- 余所様の家: someone else's house
- 余所様の目を気にする: to mind the eyes of others; to worry about appearances
- 余所様に失礼のないように: so as not to be rude to others
Similar words
- 他人: other people; strangers — neutral, slightly distancing; lacks the polite, traditional warmth of 余所様.
- よその人: people from elsewhere — plain, everyday equivalent of 余所様.
- 他家: another household — formal, written term used in genealogy or formal contexts.
- 人様: other people; one's fellow human beings — close in tone and politeness; especially used in moral admonitions like 人様に迷惑をかけるな ('don't trouble others').
- 外部: external (party); the outside — abstract, often institutional usage.