お母さん、こんにちは
okaasan, konnichiwa
In Japanese, the phrase for "hello mom" is お母さん、こんにちは (okaasan, konnichiwa).
This phrase is a greeting used when speaking to one's mother.
Which one should you use?
While お母さん (okaasan) is used when addressing one's own mother directly, 母 (haha) is the humble term used when speaking about one's mother to someone outside the family.
How do you pronounce it?
okaasan, konnichiwa
Did you know?
- While お母さん is the standard term, some adults switch to お袋 (ofukuro) when speaking to their mothers, a term that literally means 'cloth bag'.
- The word こんにちは (konnichiwa) actually translates to 'today is' or 'as for today', as it is a shortened version of a longer greeting about the day.
- The suffix さん in お母さん is a respectful honorific, which means that even within a family, a child is technically addressing their mother with a level of social politeness.
Example conversation
Yota arrives home in the afternoon and sees his mother.
- 陽太 Yotaお母さん、こんにちは。Okāsan, konnichiwa.Hello, mom.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太、おかえりなさい。Yōta, okaerinasai.Welcome home, Yota.
- 陽太 Yotaただいま。お腹が空いたよ。Tadaima. Onaka ga suita yo.I'm home. I'm hungry.
- 美咲 Misakiすぐにご飯にするわね。Sugu ni gohan ni suru wa ne.I'll have dinner ready soon.
