ママ
mama[ma̠ma̠]
The Japanese term for "mama" is ママ, an informal way to address or refer to one's mother.
ママ is an informal term used by children or adults to address or refer to their mother, often used by young children or within very close-knit families.
Which one should you use?
ママ is highly informal and often sounds 'childish'. For a standard, polite way to say "mother" in most social situations, use お母さん (okaasan). When speaking about your own mother to someone outside your family (e.g., a boss or a stranger), you should use the humble term 母 (haha) instead of ママ (mama).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ママ is an informal term. In contrast, お母さん (okaasan) is considered a polite term, while 母 (haha) is the humble term.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai area, people might use the casual terms カーチャン (kā-chan) or カーサン (kā-san) to refer to their mother.
How do you pronounce it?
mama
Did you know?
- In certain subcultures, such as the 'hostess' culture in nightlife districts, the term ママ refers to the female proprietor of a bar rather than a biological mother.
- In Japanese child-rearing, it is common for parents to refer to themselves in the third person, with a mother saying ママ instead of 'I' when speaking to her child.
- Adult men who call their mothers ママ in public may be perceived as マザコン (mazakon), a loanword for 'mother complex' implying an over-reliance on their mother.
Examples in context
- ママはどこ？Where's my mama?This is useful for asking where one's ママ is.Tatoeba #10157623 by small_snow, translation #2254644 by CK
- ママ、どうしてあの人泣いてるの？Mama, why is that person crying?This shows how to address one's ママ with a question.Tatoeba #11351913 by small_snow, translation #11713337 by CK
- お母さんのこと、まだママって呼んでるよ。I still call my mother Mama.This illustrates the use of ママ when referring to how one calls their mother.Tatoeba #10677540 by small_snow, translation #6531302 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two children are talking at home.
- 陽太 Yotaママ、お腹すいた！Mama, onaka suita!Mama, I'm hungry!
- 陽葵 Himariママに内緒で、お菓子食べよう。Mama ni naisho de, okashi tabeyou.Let's eat snacks without Mama knowing.
- 陽太 Yotaだめだよ。ママに怒られるもん。Dame dayo. Mama ni okorareru mon.No way. Mama will get mad at us.
- 陽葵 Himariそうだね。ママに聞こう。Sou dane. Mama ni kikou.You're right. Let's ask Mama.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ママ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
