1.
women's association; women's group; ladies' club
A local community organization of women, traditionally focused on neighborhood activities, welfare, cultural events, and social support. A longstanding feature of Japanese community life, though membership has been declining.
母は地元の婦人会に入っている。
My mother belongs to the local women's association.
婦人会が祭りの炊き出しを担当した。
The women's association was in charge of serving food at the festival.
戦後の日本では婦人会が地域の福祉や教育活動に大きな役割を果たした。
In postwar Japan, women's associations played a major role in local welfare and educational activities.
Composed of 婦人 (woman; lady) and 会 (association; meeting). A traditional form of community organization in Japan.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Women's associations have been a staple of Japanese community life since the prewar period. They organize local events, provide food at festivals, coordinate disaster relief, and support neighborhood cohesion. Membership has declined in recent decades as more women work outside the home and the term 婦人 has come to be seen as somewhat dated. Some groups have rebranded as 女性会 (women's group) to reflect changing attitudes.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 地域の婦人会: local women's association
- 婦人会の活動: women's association activities
- 婦人会の会長: president of the women's association
- 婦人会に参加する: to participate in the women's association
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 女性会: women's group — a more modern term gradually replacing 婦人会
- 町内会: neighborhood association — a mixed-gender local community group, of which the 婦人会 is often a subgroup
- 自治会: self-governance association — another term for local community organizations