What is the Kanji for "Mother"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Mother", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Mother" is "母".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Haha" and "Kaa".

Its onyomi reading is "Bo".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "毋" means "Mother" . And The radical "丶" means "Dot" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "母" mean in japanese?

"母" means "Mother".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N5 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

母: "Mother". The Japanese noun '母 (はは)' means 'mother'. This word refers to a female parent or the female head of a family. It is a common and important word in Japanese, used to address one's own mother or to refer to the mother figure. Examples: My mother is kind - (私の母は優しい). Mother - (母)

お母さん: "Mother". The Japanese noun 'お母さん (おかあさん)' means 'mother'. This term is used to refer to one's own mother or another person's mother. It is a respectful and affectionate way to address a female parent. For example: My mother is very kind - (私のお母さんはとてもやさしい). She visits her mother every week - (彼女は週に一度自分のお母さんを訪ねる).

母親: "Mother". The Japanese noun '母親 (ははおや)' refers to one's biological mother or a maternal figure. It is used to describe a female parent or guardian who takes care of and nurtures their child(ren). This word carries strong connotations of love, protection, and the caretaking role of a mother. Example sentences: She is a kind mother - (彼女は優しい母親です). My mother always supports me - (私の母親は常に私をサポートしてくれます).

伯母: "Aunt". The Japanese noun '伯母 (おば)' refers to one's aunt, specifically the sister of one's mother. This term is used to address or refer to the mother's sister. It is a formal and respectful way to refer to an aunt. For example: My aunt lives in Kyoto - (私の伯母は京都に住んでいます). My aunt is very kind - (私の伯母はとても親切です).

お祖母さん: "Grandmother". The noun 'お祖母さん (おばあさん)' refers to one's grandmother. This is a polite and respectful way to refer to one's paternal or maternal grandmother. It can be used to address one's own grandmother or to refer to the grandmother of another person. For example: My grandmother gave me a present - (私のお祖母さんが私にプレゼントをくれた). Let's visit your grandmother - (あなたのお祖母さんを訪ねましょう).

祖母: "Grandmother". The noun '祖母 (そぼ)' refers to one's paternal or maternal grandmother. It is a respectful term used to address or refer to an older female relative. Grandmothers often play an important role in Japanese families, providing childcare and passing down traditions. For example: My grandmother loves to cook - (私の祖母は料理が好きです). She is a kind grandmother - (彼女は優しい祖母です).

父母: "Parents". The Japanese noun '父母 (ふぼ)' refers to one's mother and father. It is a compound word formed by combining the words '父 (ちち)' meaning 'father' and '母 (はは)' meaning 'mother'. This term is commonly used to refer to both parents together. For example: Our parents are good people - (私たちの父母は良い人々です).

母子: "Mother and child". The noun '母子 (ぼし)' refers to a mother and her child. It is a compound word made up of '母' (mother) and '子' (child). This term is used to describe the close relationship and bond between a mother and her offspring. It can be used in various contexts, such as discussing family dynamics, social welfare programs, or healthcare related to maternal and child wellbeing. Example sentences: The mother and child were inseparable - (母子は離れられなかった). The clinic provides support for mothers and their children - (その診療所は母子のために支援を行っている).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "ぼ" is read as "bo". The hiragana "は" is read as "ha". The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". And The hiragana "あ" is read as "a".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.