Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| お母さん | okāsan | [o̞ka̠ːsã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| ママ | mama | [ma̠ma̠] (narrow) |
| 母 | haha | [ha̠ha̠] (narrow) [ha̠β̞a̠] (narrow) |
In Japanese, the term used to address your mother often changes depending on whether you are talking to her directly or talking about her to a stranger.
Which one should you use?
While お母さん is a standard informal way to say "mum", you should use 母 when speaking about your own mother to people outside your family to show humility. For very young children, the form ママ is primarily used, as it sounds much more infantile than お母さん.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お母さん is a standard, informal way to address a mother. In contrast, ママ is a childish term used by very young children. If you need to increase the level of respect when addressing or referring to someone else's mother, you can use the highly formal お母様. Although 母 is a humble form used in certain contexts, it is also considered obsolete.
How do you pronounce it?
okāsan
Did you know?
- The common word お母さん was not always standard and only became widespread in the 20th century after the Ministry of Education included it in a 1903 elementary school reader.
Examples in context
- ママ、砂糖はどこ？Mum, where's the sugar?This sentence is useful for asking where the sugar is using ママ.Tatoeba #11700156 by small_snow, translation #11617397 by WarsawWill
- ママ、お腹が痛い。Mum, I've got a bellyache.This sentence is useful for saying you have a bellyache using ママ.Tatoeba #11904149 by small_snow, translation #11359399 by sundown
- ただいま、お母さん。I'm home, Mum!This sentence is useful for saying you are home using お母さん.Tatoeba #203661 by arnab, translation #12231626 by sundown
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking on the phone about their mother.
- 蓮 Renお母さんは元気？Okaasan wa genki?Is your mother doing well?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、お母さんは元気だよ。Un, okaasan wa genki dayo.Yeah, my mum is doing well.
- 蓮 Renそれはよかった。Sore wa yokatta.That's good to hear.
- 結衣 Yui今度、お母さんと一緒に遊びに行こう。Kondo, okaasan to issho ni asobi ni ikou.Let's go hang out with her sometime.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mum” translations and entries お母さん, ママ, 母, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries お母さん, ママ, 母, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
