1.
common-law marriage; de facto marriage; unmarried cohabitation
A relationship in which a couple lives together as married partners without being legally registered as married.
内 (inside, private) + 縁 (bond, relation). Refers to a marital-like relationship without formal registration at the municipal office. In Japan, marriage requires submitting a 婚姻届 (marriage registration) to be legally recognized, so couples who live together without doing so are considered 内縁.
Common collocations
- 内縁関係 — common-law relationship
- 内縁の妻 — common-law wife
- 内縁の夫 — common-law husband
- 内縁関係を解消する — dissolve a common-law relationship
Legal note
Japanese courts recognize certain rights for 内縁 partners, including some property rights and rights to damages if the relationship is broken without just cause. However, 内縁 partners do not have inheritance rights unless specified by will.