Meaning
婿 means son-in-law or bridegroom — more precisely, the man who marries a family's daughter and, in certain traditional arrangements, is formally adopted into her household. Outside formal writing, most Japanese speakers simply say むこさん in daily conversation. The kanji itself surfaces in family registry documents, wedding programs, and classical texts.
Structurally, 婿 has two parts. On the left is 女 (おんな, onna), 'woman.' On the right sits 胥 (しょ), a phonetic element that once carried the sense of 'together' or 'mutual.' Together, they sketch a man stepping into the woman's family — the one who enters through her side. This mirrors an old practice in both Japan and China: when a family had no male heir, a groom could be formally adopted into the bride's household to carry on the family name.
婿 has 13 strokes and falls under the 女 radical. Jōyō kanji status places it in the standard adult literacy set, though it does not appear in the elementary school curriculum.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
婿's sole on'yomi is セイ (sei), derived from Middle Chinese (Mandarin: xù). It stays confined to formal writing and classical texts — daily conversation almost never calls for it.
- 女婿 (josei) — son-in-law (formal/literary term, used in writing)
- 招婿 (shousei) — taking in a son-in-law; welcoming a groom into the family (classical/archaic)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
むこ (muko) is the everyday reading, covering both son-in-law and bridegroom across casual and formal speech alike.
Traditional Japanese society built a specific institution around this role: 婿養子 (むこようし), a man who married the daughter and was simultaneously adopted by her parents as their legal heir. Families with no sons used this arrangement to keep the family name alive. The practice persists in modern Japan, though far less frequently than in earlier generations.
- 婿 (muko) — son-in-law; bridegroom
- 花婿 (hanamuko) — bridegroom (literally 'flower groom'; used at weddings)
- 婿入り (mukoiri) — the act of a man marrying into and joining the wife's family home
Common Words & Compounds
The compounds below cover the main contexts where 婿 appears — from wedding ceremonies to family registry paperwork.
Family and Relationship Terms:
- 婿 (muko) — son-in-law; groom
- 花婿 (hanamuko) — bridegroom (festive, wedding-context word)
- 娘婿 (musumemuko) — one's daughter's husband; son-in-law (from the parent's perspective)
- 女婿 (josei) — son-in-law (formal written term, from the on'yomi reading)
Cultural and Social Institutions:
- 婿養子 (mukouyoshi) — adopted son-in-law; a man who legally takes his wife's family name and is entered into her family registry
- 入り婿 (irimuko) — a husband who moves in with the wife's family; a live-in son-in-law
- 婿入り (mukoiri) — the act of entering the wife's family as a husband; 'marrying in'
Honorific and Polite Forms:
- 婿殿 (mukodono) — honorable son-in-law (traditional, respectful form of address)
- 婿君 (mukogimi) — dear son-in-law (classic polite usage, somewhat literary)
- 婿さん (mukosan) — son-in-law (everyday polite form, most common in speech)
Descriptive Compounds:
- 良婿 (yoimuko) — a fine son-in-law; a good groom (informal positive description)
- 花婿さん (hanamukosan) — the groom (casual and affectionate, used among friends and family at weddings)
Example Sentences
彼は私の娘の婿です。
Kare wa watashi no musume no muko desu.
He is my daughter's husband (my son-in-law).
花婿は式の間、緊張しているようでした。
Hanamuko wa shiki no aida, kinchou shite iru you deshita.
The bridegroom seemed nervous throughout the ceremony.
うちには男の子がいないので、婿養子を迎えたいと思っています。
Uchi ni wa otoko no ko ga inai node, mukouyoshi wo mukaetai to omotteimasu.
Since we have no sons, I'm thinking I'd like to welcome an adopted son-in-law.
彼女の婿さんはとても礼儀正しくて、家族みんなに好かれています。
Kanojo no mukosan wa totemo reigitadashikute, kazoku minna ni sukarete imasu.
Her son-in-law is very polite and is liked by everyone in the family.
彼は婿入りして、妻の苗字を名乗ることにしました。
Kare wa mukoiri shite, tsuma no myouji wo nanoru koto ni shimashita.
He married into his wife's family and decided to take her surname.
花婿と花嫁は両家の前で誓いの言葉を述べました。
Hanamuko to hanayome wa ryouke no mae de chikai no kotoba wo nobemashita.
The groom and bride exchanged their vows in front of both families.
親たちは娘の婿を温かく迎え、家族の一員として扱いました。
Oyatachi wa musume no muko wo atatakaku mukae, kazoku no ichiin toshite atsukaimashita.
The parents welcomed their daughter's husband warmly and treated him as a member of the family.
入り婿として妻の実家で暮らすのは、最初は緊張するものです。
Irimuko toshite tsuma no jikka de kurasu no wa, saisho wa kinchou suru mono desu.
Living in your wife's family home as a husband who married in can be nerve-wracking at first.
良い婿を見つけることが、娘を持つ親の願いの一つです。
Yoi muko wo mitsukeru koto ga, musume wo motsu oya no negai no hitotsu desu.
Finding a good son-in-law is one of the wishes of parents who have a daughter.
Memory Tip
Picture 女 (woman) standing at her family's front gate. A man walks up and joins her household — that man is the 婿 (むこ). For the reading むこ, think of the English phrase 'much obliged': picture a new son-in-law bowing at the entrance, saying 'Much obliged to join your family!' Once that image is set, the meaning and reading tend to stick together.