お母さん、こんにちは
okāsan, konnichiwa
The English phrase "hi mum" can be translated into Japanese as お母さん、こんにちは (okāsan, konnichiwa).
This phrase is used to greet one's mother. The term お母さん (okāsan) is a respectful way to address a mother.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While the English "hi mum" is very informal, the Japanese phrase お母さん、こんにちは is actually quite polite and standard.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the word こんにちは, the particle wa is written using the hiragana character は.
How do you pronounce it?
okāsan, konnichiwa
Did you know?
- The phrase こんにちは (konnichiwa) is actually a contraction of an older, much longer greeting that meant 'as for today…'.
- While お母さん is the standard term, some adults switch to 母 (haha) when talking about their mother to others, but never when addressing her directly.
- The word お母さん can also be used to address any middle-aged woman in a friendly or maternal way, even if she is not your mother.
Example conversation
Daigaku comes home from school and sees his mother in the kitchen.
- 大翔 Hirotoお母さん、こんにちは。Okāsan, konnichiwa.Hi mum.
- 美咲 Misakiおかえり、大翔。Okaeri, Daigaku.Welcome home, Daigaku.
- 大翔 Hirotoお腹が空いたよ。Onaka ga suita yo.I'm hungry.
- 美咲 Misakiもうすぐご飯できるわよ。Mō sugu gohan dekiru wa yo.Dinner will be ready soon.
