お母さん
okāsan[o̞ka̠ːsã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, the phrase for "my mom" is お母さん (okāsan).
お母さん is a term used to refer to one's own mother. In many Japanese households, children and even adults use お母さん as a direct way to address their mother, similar to saying "Mom" in English.
Which one should you use?
While お母さん is used to address your own mother directly or to refer to someone else's mother, haha is the standard, more humble term used when speaking about your mother to someone outside your family. お母さん is used to address your own mother directly or to refer to someone else's mother, whereas haha is used to refer to your own mother in formal or polite social contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
okāsan
Did you know?
- The widespread use of お母さん as the standard term for 'mother' was popularized by a 1903 government textbook called the 尋常小学読本.
- Because お母さん is also used for other people's mothers, it can be used as a generic title for any woman of a certain age, regardless of whether she has children.
- In some traditional or very formal households, adults may still use おかあさま instead of お母さん to show an extreme level of respect.
Examples in context
- お母さんが怖いんだよ。I'm scared of my mom.This sentence is useful for expressing fear toward one's mother using お母さん.Tatoeba #10764043 by small_snow, translation #10620786 by belvis
- 今、お母さんと一緒に暮らしています。I'm living with my mom now.This sentence is useful for describing living arrangements with one's mother using お母さん.Tatoeba #8691629 by small_snow, translation #3160521 by Hybrid
- うちのお母さんなら知ってると思うよ。I think that my mom knows.This sentence is useful for discussing a mother's knowledge using お母さん.Tatoeba #8893004 by bunbuku, translation #4287390 by Hybrid
- 私の母は医者です。My mom is a doctor.
- お母さん、ご飯作ってくれてありがとう。Mom, thank you for making dinner.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their weekend plans.
- 陽葵 Himari今週末、お母さんと買い物に行くの。Konshūmatsu, okāsan to kaimono ni iku no.I'm going shopping with my mom this weekend.
- 蓮 Renいいですね。何を買う予定ですか？Ii desu ne. Nani o kau yotei desu ka?That's nice. What do you plan to buy?
- 陽葵 Himariお母さんが新しい靴が欲しいって言ってたから。Okāsan ga atarashii kutsu ga hoshii tte itteta kara.Because my mom said she wanted new shoes.
- 蓮 Renそれはいいプレゼントになりますね。Sore wa ii purezento ni narimasu ne.That will make a great present.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry お母さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries お母さん, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
