- sobame mistress, kept woman, concubine
This word is rare and archaic, found mainly in historical fiction or period dramas to refer to a concubine or mistress in a feudal context.
側女が城で暮らしていた。
Sobame ga shiro de kurashite ita.
The mistress lived in the castle.
彼は側女を持っていたが、世間には隠していた。
Kare wa sobame o motte ita ga, seken ni wa kakushite ita.
He had a concubine, but he hid it from the public.
⚖️ Often confused with 愛人 (aijin), but 側女 suggests a historically lower status, while 愛人 is modern and informal.
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