お母さん

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
母
かあ Grade: 2
kun’yomi

お (o-, honorific prefix) +‎ 母 (kā, “mother”) +‎ さん (-san, honorific suffix).

/okakasama/ → /okaːsama/ or /okakasan/ → /okaːsan/

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “invented by the meiji-era 文部省 according to daijisen [1]”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おか​あさん [òkáꜜàsàǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [o̞ka̠ːsã̠ɴ]

Noun

お母(かあ)さん • (okāsan) 

1. (honorific) mother; one's mother

Alternative forms

• (honorific, polite) 御(お)母(かあ)様(さま) (okāsama), 御(お)母(かか)様(さま) (okakasama), 御(お)嬶(かか)様(さま) (okakasama)
• (honorific, childish) 御(お)母(たあ)様(さま) (otāsama), 御(お)母(たた)様(さま) (otatasama)
• (honorific, archaic) 御(お)母(かか)さん (okakasan), 御(お)嬶(かか)さん (okakasan), 御(お)っ母(か)さん (okkasan)

Descendants

• Min Nan: 卡桑 (khà-sàng) (Taiwanese)

See also

• 母(はは) (hawa): a mother
• 母(かか) (kaka)
• 嚊(かか) (kaka)
• 嬶(かか) (kaka) (vulgar)
• ママ (mama): (childish) mama, a childish form of mother, one's female parent
• お袋(ふくろ) (ofukuro): (informal) one's mother
• 御(お)袋(ふくろ) (ofukuro): (informal) one's mother
• 母(ぽ)堂(どう) (podō): (formal, written) one's mother
• 母(かあ)様(さま) (kāsama)
• 母(かか)さん (kakasan)
• 御(お)母(かか) (okaka)
• 御(お)嬶(かか) (okaka)
• お母(か)ん (okan) (Kansai)