The Meaning of fuyou [扶養] In Japanese

扶養
ふよう
Romaji: fuyou N3

What does 扶養 mean?

Translation and Meaning

support, maintenance, dependent support

Definition

扶養 means to financially support someone who is dependent on you, such as a family member, by providing living expenses, housing, and care; it is used in legal, tax, and welfare contexts to describe ongoing maintenance for dependents.

Type

Noun; verb form 扶養する (suru-verb)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Financial support provided to a dependent by a caregiver, typically a family member, covering living costs.
  • A legal or administrative concept denoting a person who receives such support in contexts like taxation or social welfare.
  • As a verb 扶養する, to provide for someone’s basic needs through money, housing, education, and healthcare.

Etymology

etimologia Two kanji: 扶 meaning to support and 養 meaning to nourish; the compound is read ふよう (fuyō) in modern Japanese, reflecting a straightforward combination of core meanings rather than a borrowed foreign form.

Origin

扶養 has long been embedded in Japanese family and tax law, with early forms appearing in classical legal codes and evolving through modern welfare and tax systems to designate dependents and the maintenance they receive.

Composition

  • 扶: support; a hand or assistive gesture
  • 養: nourish, raise; provisioning and care to enable growth

Usage

Used in formal writing and everyday speech when discussing family obligations, taxation, and social welfare; contexts include family law, tax forms, and employer declarations of dependents. Common phrases: 扶養する, 扶養家族, 税法上の扶養控除, 公的扶助と扶養の関係.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: envision a caregiver lifting a dependent while feeding them; the combined image embodies ongoing financial support that 扶養 conveys.

Variations

  • 養う (やしなう): to support financially or nurture
  • 扶助 (ふじょ): assistance or aid, less specific to family maintenance
  • 扶養控除 (ふようこうじょ): tax dependent deduction

Example Phrases

  • 来年、扶養家族の手続きは私がします。
    Rainen, fuyou kazoku no tetsuzuki wa watashi ga shimasu.
    Next year, I’ll handle the paperwork for my dependent family.
    Lista:
    • 来年 (rainen) – next year
    • 扶養家族 (fuyou kazoku) – dependent family member
    • の (no) – of
    • 手続き (tetsuzuki) – procedures
    • は (wa) – [topic marker]
    • 私が (watashi ga) – I
    • します (shimasu) – will do
    In this context, 「扶養」 is a noun forming the compound 扶養家族 meaning dependent family; the phrase 扶養家族の手続き = ‘the procedures for a dependent family’.
扶養