ภรรยา

Explanation

ภรรยา is a noun for a woman who is someone’s spouse through marriage. It can be used in conversation, but it sounds more respectful and formal than เมีย. It is therefore common in family introductions, professional settings, news reports, and official documents. Use ภรรยาของ followed by a person to mean “someone’s wife,” and มีภรรยา to mean “have a wife.” When counting, the classifier is คน.

Usage

It is commonly used when introducing one’s wife, describing someone’s family, or saying who accompanied a person. It also appears frequently in forms, contracts, news reports, and other contexts where marital relationships must be stated clearly.

Caution

Do not use ภรรยา for a girlfriend or fiancée. It is also not normally used as a direct form of address to a married woman; it identifies her relationship as someone’s wife.

1 wife synonyms

• คู่สมรส

  คู่สมรส means “spouse” without specifying gender and is common in legal or administrative language. ภรรยา specifically means a female spouse.

• ภริยา

  pháriyaa wife [formal]

  ภริยา also means “wife,” but it can sound more literary or old-fashioned. ภรรยา is the more practical standard form in modern usage.

• เมีย

  mia wife

  เมีย also means “wife,” but it is more colloquial and can sound blunt in some contexts. ภรรยา is more respectful and is better suited to formal or public situations.