Japanese Conversation · Level 10
90 words
Japanese word
母
Pronunciation
Romajihaha
Meaning
- nounmother
Example
母は元気です。haha wa gen ki de su
My mother is well.
More examples
母は本を読みます。haha wa hon o yo mi ma su
My mother reads a book.
母に誕生日のプレゼントを贈ります。haha ni tan jō hi no pu re ze n to o oku ri ma su
I give my mother a birthday present.
Core concept
It identifies the woman who holds the parental role of mother in relation to a child.
Common phrases
母に電話するhaha ni den wa su ru
call mother
母と話すhaha to hana su
talk with mother
母の名前haha no na mae
mother's name
Similar words
お母さんokāsan: A polite or familiar term for a mother and a common way to address one's mother.
母親hahaoya: A general word for a woman in the parental role of mother.
おふくろofukuro: An informal term for one's own mother.
Definition in Japanese
子を生み、または親として育てる女性。ko o u mi ma ta wa oya to shi te soda te ru jo sei
Word origin
母 (haha, "mother") is a native Japanese word, and its written form uses the Chinese-borrowed character 母, which also has the Sino-Japanese reading bo.
Usage tips
- Japanese uses 母 (haha) when referring to one's own mother to another person, whereas お母さん (okāsan) is commonly used when speaking to one's mother.