お母さん
okāsan[o̞ka̠ːsã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, 'mummy' can be expressed as お母さん (okāsan) or ママ (mama).
Meaning: child's term for mother (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| お母さん | okāsan | [o̞ka̠ːsã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| ママ | mama | [ma̠ma̠] (narrow) |
ママ is a childish term used by children to call their mother. It is also frequently used by adult women as a nickname or in certain social contexts, though it remains much more casual than お母さん.
What does it mean word for word?
The term お母さん uses the honorific prefix お and the honorific suffix さん to show respect toward the person being addressed or spoken about.
Which one should you use?
ママ is a childish, informal term equivalent to 'mummy' or 'mommy', whereas お母さん is the standard, more polite way to say 'mother'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ママ is much more casual than お母さん.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term お母さん incorporates the honorific prefix お and the honorific suffix さん to signal respect to the mother.
How do you pronounce it?
okāsan
Did you know?
- In Japan, calling someone ママ is not always a term for a child's mother. It is also a very common way to refer to the female owner or hostess of a small bar or 'snack' lounge.
- While お母さん is used to address one's own mother, Japanese speakers often use different terms like 母 (haha) when talking about their mother to someone outside the family.
- The widespread use of お母さん was actually driven by the Japanese Ministry of Education through the adoption of specific terms in school textbooks in 1903.
Examples in context
- ママに叱られますよ。You'll catch it from Mummy.This sentence uses the form ママ.Tatoeba #195319 by Kaede, translation #32493 by Catriona
- ママ、おやつ代ちょうだい？Mummy, could you give me money to buy sweets?Tatoeba #12022582 by small_snow, translation #5194307 by Objectivesea
- 指は、親指から「お父さん指」「お母さん指」「お兄さん指」「お姉さん指」「赤ちゃん指」とも呼ばれています。Starting from the thumb, fingers are also referred to as "Daddy finger", "Mummy finger", "Brother finger", "Sister finger" and "Baby finger".This sentence uses the form お母さん.Tatoeba #10153667 by small_snow, translation #10239012 by tsp_2
- かーちゃん、これを見て！Mom, look at this!
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A young boy is asking his mother for something.
- 陽太 Yotaお母さん、お腹空いたよ。Okaasan, onaka suita yo.Mummy, I'm hungry.
- 美咲 Misakiもうすぐ準備できるわよ。Mou sugu junbi dekiru wa yo.It will be ready soon.
- 陽太 Yotaカレーがいいな！Karee ga ii na!I want curry!
- 美咲 Misakiわかったわ、陽太。Wakatta wa, Youta.Okay, Youta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mummy” translations and entries お母さん, ママ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
