主夫(しゅふ)

しゅふ
noun
househusband
familyoccupation
1. househusband
A man who manages the household as his primary role, typically while his spouse works outside the home. The male counterpart of 主婦(しゅふ), which shares the same pronunciation but a different first kanji.
主夫(しゅふ)になる。
I'm becoming a househusband.
夫(おっと)は主夫(しゅふ)として家事(かじ)を担当(たんとう)している。
My husband handles the housework as a househusband.
最近(さいきん)、専業(せんぎょう)主夫(しゅふ)を選(えら)ぶ男性(だんせい)が増(ふ)えている。
Recently, more men are choosing to be full-time househusbands.

主夫(しゅふ) was coined as the gender-neutral counterpart to 主婦(しゅふ) (housewife) — same reading, with 夫(ふ) (husband) replacing 婦(ふ) (wife). It remains far less common than 主婦(しゅふ), since full-time homemaking is still mostly done by women in Japan, but its use has grown as more men take on the role.

Common collocations

  • 専業(せんぎょう)主夫(しゅふ): full-time househusband
  • 主夫(しゅふ)業(ぎょう): homemaking, done as a househusband
  • 主夫(しゅふ)になる: to become a househusband

Similar words

  • 主婦(しゅふ): housewife, homemaker — the far more common counterpart; same reading, different kanji.

Related Words

Compare: 主婦(しゅふ) (housewife, homemaker)
general
Added 2026.9.3 21:27 · Revised 2026.9.3 21:38
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