そぼ
sobohiragana, my own grandmother, to others
In hiragana, "my grandmother" is そぼ (sobo) when you talk about your own grandmother to other people. Directly to her you say おばあちゃん (obāchan). It is also called おばあさん (obāsan).
Meaning: grandmother (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| そぼ | sobo | hiragana, my own grandmother, to others |
| おばあちゃん | obāchan | hiragana, affectionate |
| おばあさん | obāsan | hiragana, polite |
Add わたしの (watashi no) in front, as in わたしのそぼ (watashi no sobo).
Which one should you use?
おばあさん (obāsan) is used for someone else's grandmother and for an elderly woman in general.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The long ba-a matters, since おばさん (obasan) with a short vowel means "aunt".
Did you know?
- The words そふ and そぼ are written 祖父 and 祖母 in kanji, where 祖 means "ancestor".
Examples in context
- わたしのそぼはやさしいです。Watashi no sobo wa yasashii desu.My grandmother is kind.
- おばあちゃん、ありがとう。Obāchan, arigatō.Grandma, thank you.
- おばあさんはおげんきですか。Obāsan wa ogenki desu ka?Is your grandmother well?
Example conversation
Aoi visits her grandmother and talks about her at school with a classmate.
- Classmateあおいさんのおばあさんはどんなひとですか。Aoi-san no obāsan wa donna hito desu ka?Aoi, what kind of person is your grandmother?
- Aoiわたしのそぼはとてもやさしいです。Watashi no sobo wa totemo yasashii desu.My grandmother is very kind.
- Classmateいいですね。Ii desu ne.That is nice.
