母 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

母: mother; mom. JLPT N5; 5 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ボ

Kun readings

はは

Romaji

bo, haha

Study notes

母 means 'mother'. According to traditional interpretation, the two dots within the kanji recall the maternal breast.

On reading: ボ in 母国 (ぼこく, homeland), 母語 (ぼご, mother tongue), 祖母 (そぼ, grandmother), 母校 (ぼこう, school where one studied), 母乳 (ぼにゅう, maternal milk), 分母 (ぶんぼ, denominator).

Kun reading: はは, 'mother': it is used for one's own mother when speaking with others (母は料理が上手です, my mother cooks well). Also 母親 (ははおや, mother) and 母の日 (ははのひ, Mother's Day).

Special readings: お母さん (おかあさん, mama; her mother), 叔母 and 伯母 (おば, aunt), お祖母さん (おばあさん, grandmother) and 乳母 (うば, nurse) are read as whole words.

Remember: for one's own mother, speaking with others, use 母 (はは); for the mother of others, or when addressing one's own mother, お母さん (おかあさん).

Example words

• お母さん (おかあさん) — mother; mom (polite)
• 母国語 (ぼこくご) — mother tongue; native language
• 母 (はは) — mother

Example sentences

母は家にいます。

haha wa ie ni imasu.

My mother is at home.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.