14 Ways to say mother in Japanese

In Japanese, there are several ways to refer to mother. In this article, we will see the most common ways to express this. It is worth remembering that when saying mother in Japan, it is very important to know that the same word is not always used, keeping that in mind.

In this article, we will observe the most common ways to talk about mother and everything that encompasses this word in Japanese.

When you refer to your mother and also to the mothers of others, aunts, and grandmothers, there are some ways to say it; below we will see some of them.

We also recommend reading:

• Kazoku – Family members in Japanese
• Koseki: the Japanese family register
• Homestay in Japan – Staying at a family home

母 (Haha)

(はは) Haha is a quite popular way to say mother; in the past, this word used to have other pronunciations. A word that is commonly used by almost everyone when referring to mother.

In the past, it had sounds like: はわ (Hawa), かか (Kaka), おも(omo), いろは (Iroha), あも (Omo).

Example sentence: My mother gets angry very easily.

母はすぐ怒る。
Haha wa sugu okoru

母さん (Kaasan)

Kaasan, which used to be pronounced as kakasan, means mother.

However, sometimes it is used by husbands when referring to their wives, or in direct conversations with their own in informal language.

Example sentence: I will keep it a secret from my mother that I got a zero.

0点を取ったことは、母さんには内緒にしよう。
Zeroten wo tottakoto wa, kaasan niwa naishou ni shiyou.

お母さん, 御母さん (Okaasan)

Just like the previous meaning, it refers to mother and in honorific language can carry the meaning of wife.

Example sentence: My mother is also well.

お母さんも元気です
Okaasan mo genki desu

母様, 母さま (Kasama)

An honorific and quite common way to say mother.

Example sentence: Just you and your mother in a garden while white petals fall silently like snow.

庭にはあなたと母様と二人きり白い花弁が雪のように音もなく散りかかる。
Niwa niwa anata to Kasama to futarikiri shiroi hanabira ga yuki no youni otomo mo naku chirikakaru. 

母親 (Hahaoya)

Another way to say mother that is commonly used.

Example sentence: Her mother.

彼女の母親
Kanojyo no hahaoya

お母様, 御母様, お母さま (Okasama)

A very polite and honorific way to refer to mother.

Example sentence: What is your mother’s maiden name?

 お母様の旧姓は何ですか？
Okasama no kyuusei wa nandesuka ?

ママ (Mama)

An intimate and familiar way to say mother. It is also sometimes used to refer to properties of some women, like a bar, for example.

Example sentence: Let’s try asking mom.

ママに聞いてみよう。 
Mama ni kiitemiyou 

母ちゃん (Kaachan)

This is a somewhat childish and familiar way to say mother, usually said by children or pre-adolescents in Japan when speaking directly to their mothers.

Example sentence: And then mom came back with the eggs in hand.

そこへ母ちゃんが卵を持って戻ってきた
Soko he kaachan ga tamago wo mottemodotekkita

おっ母 (Ohhka/Ohhaha)

A way that is generally found more in books and novels to refer to mother.

Example sentence: Mother, without answering anything, entered the house.

おっ母は何も答えてくれず、家の中に入ってきた。
Ohhka wa nanimo kotaetekurezu, ie no naka ni haittekita

母上 (Hahaue)

An polite and honorific way to refer to mother.

Example sentence: Voldemort spilled your mother’s blood. But that blood lives in you and in your mother’s sister.

ヴォルデモートは母上の血を流した。しかしその血はきみの中に、そして母上の妹御の中に生き続けている。
Vuorudemōto wa hahaue no chi o nagashita. Shikashi sono chi wa kimi no naka ni, soshite hahaue no imōtogo no naka ni iki tsudzukete iru

お母ん (Okan)

It is a more familiar way to say mother, combined with the fact that it is also a Kansai dialect. Another important factor of this way of saying mother that will be more seen during reading is being used in Kana.

義母 (Gibo)

Gibo is used to refer to a mother who does not necessarily have blood ties, for example, stepmother, adoptive mother, and mother-in-law.

Example sentence: Mary is Tom’s mother-in-law.

メアリーはトムの義母である。
Mearii wa tomu no gibo de aru.

小母 (Oba)

Oba is used both to refer to grandma, in a more familiar language, sometimes aunt, for example, as well as older ladies.

Example sentence: Aunt, I went to Tokyo that night and…

おばさん、私はその夜、京都へ行って (...)
Obasan, watashi wa sono yoru, Tokyo e itte

母堂 (Bodou)

An formal way to refer to someone else’s mother.

Example sentence: His mother was surprised, but not as much as I thought she would be.

母堂はびっくりしていたが、しかしこちらが思ったほどではなかった
Budou wa bikkurishiteita ga, shikashi kochira ga omotta hodo dewanakatta