Recognize 母 in everyday Japanese. Start with its meaning, my mother, then learn to read it in whole words such as 母 and お母さん.

The idea

Kanji may have Japanese-origin and Chinese-origin readings; learn each with its word. Compare 母（はは） and お母さん（おかあさん）. 母 has 5 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingMeaning
母ははmy mother
お母さんおかあさんmother (polite or direct address)
母の日ははのひMother’s Day

Examples

  • 母ははは新あたらしい車くるまを買かいます。My mother buys a new car.
  • 母ははと午後ごごに買かい物ものをします。I go shopping with my mother in the afternoon.
  • 午前ごぜんに母ははへ電話でんわをかけます。I call my mother in the morning.
  • 母ははは日本にほんで生うまれました。My mother was born in Japan.
  • お母かあさんはお元気げんきですか。Is your mother well?
  • 母ははの日ひに花はなを買かいます。I buy flowers on Mother’s Day.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

When speaking to others about your own mother, use 母; お母さん can address a mother or refer respectfully to someone else’s. Compare the shape of 母 with 毎 so you do not confuse them.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 母 in hiragana.

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    はは

    母 is read はは; it means my mother. Learn the reading as part of this word.

  2. Write the reading of お母さん in hiragana.

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    おかあさん

    お母さん is read おかあさん; it means mother (polite or direct address). Learn the reading as part of this word.

  3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿の日（ははのひ）.

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    母

    母 completes 母の日, read ははのひ; the word means Mother’s Day.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 母 from memory, and read 母 and お母さん aloud. Then check the readings and meanings.