Japanese word

叔母

Pronunciation

Romajioba

Meaning

  • nounaunt

Example

夏休みに叔母の家へ行きます。natsu yasu mi ni oba no ie e i ki ma su

I go to my aunt's house during summer vacation.

Illustration for 叔母 (aunt)

More examples

叔母から誕生日に本をもらいました。oba ka ra tan jō hi ni hon o mo ra i ma shi ta

I received a book from my aunt for my birthday.

Core concept

Refers to a parent's younger sister or younger brother's wife as a female relative of the parent generation.

Common phrases

  • 叔母の家oba no ie

    my aunt's house

  • 叔母と話すoba to hana su

    talk with my aunt

  • 叔母を訪ねるoba o tazu ne ru

    visit my aunt

Definition in Japanese

父母の妹。また、父母の弟の妻。fu bo no imōto ma ta fu bo no otōto no tsuma

Word origin

In the spelling 叔母 (oba), 叔 (shuku, "younger sibling") marks the younger relationship and 母 (bo, "mother") supplies the family-role meaning.

Usage tips

  • The kanji 叔母 (oba) is more likely to appear in writing than in speech, where the same word is usually heard simply as おば (oba).

Opposites

Related words

  • 叔母さんobasanauntnoun

Word lists with this word