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A “general” Japanese word for mother is “Okaasan”お母さん. Depending on who you are talking to, there are many different ways to say mother in Japanese. Although learning Japanese can be difficult, there are ways to learn it quickly and easily. Let’s explore how to say mom in Japanese naturally.
Mom in Japanese: 議事録 (Gijiroku)
お母さん (Okaasan)
The Japanese word “Okaasan” お母さん means “mother”. A nursing mother is represented by its kanji, 母. There are two general ways to use お母さん:
- If you are referring to/talking about your own mother.
- Talking about the mother of someone else.
Instead of calling their mother (okaasan), some children call her (okaachan) お母ちゃん. These words are sometimes used by adults to express their love for their mothers. Regardless, the most common and versatile way to say mother in Japanese is okaasan.
母 (Haha)
(haha) 母 is the humble Japanese word for mother. The word haha would be used (to people outside of your family) to describe your mother in a formal setting. It’s rude to call other people’s mothers haha because this is humble Japanese culture. Unlike mom in other languages, when talking about your mother, only use this word.
お袋 (Ofukuro)
You can refer to your mother less formally by using the word (ofukuro)お袋 . There is no culture or grammatical “correctness” to ofukuro. It is acceptable in both formal and informal settings. As long as you add-san, you can even call your friends’ mothers ofukuro.
母親 (Haha Oya)
In Japanese, the word (haha oya) refers to a broader concept than the previous words. Any woman who has had children is referred to as a haha oya. In this case, it could be an animal mother or a human mother.
To avoid feeling cold and distant, you shouldn’t use haha oya to refer to your mother. While you can use it to refer to another person’s mother (okasan) if you want to play it safe, you can also use it for the mother of those you are speaking with. Haha oya should only be used for third parties.
Arslan Hussain, founder of The Different Languages, is an experienced translator passionate about languages and cultures. Through his website, he shares his knowledge and love for different languages, making learning accessible and enjoyable.