Early conversation practice in your Japanese studies will undoubtedly require you to talk to or about a mother (whether she’s yours or not), so it’s useful to know that haha (母) and okāsan (お母さん) both mean “mom” in Japanese. Like English, Japanese has several words to refer to mothers (and other members of the family in Japanese). To make sure you don’t ask your boss how their “mommy” is doing, take a few minutes to learn the nuances of each Japanese word for “mom.”
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The most common words for ‘mom’ in Japanese are haha and okāsan
Japanese has several words for “mom,” but the most common are haha (pronounced “hah-hah”) and okāsan (pronounced “oh-KAAH-sahn”). They’re used interchangeably to some extent.
Generally speaking:
- haha is for talking about your own mother
- okāsan is for talking to your own mom or about someone else’s mother
You might also see okāsan spelled with two a’s (okaasan) instead of an a with a macron (ā), which denotes that the “a” sound is elongated. This is simply a difference in romanization. If you’re unable or prefer not to use a macron, okaasan is an accurate way to write the word.
When to use haha (母) for ‘mother’
The primary use of haha is to refer to your own mother when talking about her in conversation. Haha is also the word used for Mother’s Day in Japanese: Haha no hi (母の日).
- Haha wa isha desu.（母は医者です。）= My mother is a doctor.
You can use the similar hahaoya (母親, pronounced “hah-hah-oh-yah”) to talk about a mother in general, regardless of whose mother it is. It’s a more objective, factual word (like “parent”).
- Hahaoya wa shitteimasu.（母親は知っています。）= A mother knows.
When to use okāsan (お母さん) for ‘mom’ or ‘mother’
You usually use okāsan when talking about another person’s mother in conversation, or when talking directly to your own mom. You generally can’t go wrong using okāsan for “mom” or “mother.”
One standard usage of okāsan is to refer to the mother of the person you’re talking to (“your mother”) or someone else’s mother (“her/his/their mother”).
- Kanojo wa okāsan ni denwa shite imasu.（彼女はお母さんに電話しています。）= She is calling her mother.
It’s also common to use okāsan when talking directly to your mother (“Mom”), and occasionally when talking about your mom (in less formal conversations). If translated to English, it would sound more like “my mom” than “my mother.”
- Watashi no okāsan desu.（私のお母さんです。）= This is my mom.
The word okāsan uses the honorific prefix o (お or 御) and the respectful suffix san (さん, a Japanese honorific), so the word itself has a more respectful nuance than haha. Both the prefix and the suffix are written in hiragana. Some people may use okāsama (お母様) instead, swapping the polite honorific san for the more respectful honorific sama (さま or 様). This is mostly reserved for highly formal situations.
Japanese words for other versions of ‘mom’
You use haha to talk about your mother to other people, but okāsan and mama (ママ) are the most common names to call your mom to her face. Just like how you can say “Mom” or “Mommy” in English, what you call your mom in Japanese is a personal choice.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Meaning |
| お母さん | okāsan | oh-KAAH-sahn | mom |
| 母さん | kāsan | KAH-sahn | mom (slightly more casual) |
| かあちゃん | kāchan | KAH-chahn | mommy |
| ママ | mama | mah-mah | mama |
| おかん | okan | oh-kahn | mom (Kansai dialect) |
| おふくろ | ofukuro | oh-foo-koo-roh | ma (sometimes used by men, slightly outdated) |
One survey of 862 Japanese teenagers showed that 56.3% call their mothers mama (ママ) and 33.4% call their mothers okāsan. Participants who prefer mama reported it made them feel closer to their moms, while some of those who use okāsan thought mama was too childish or embarrassing. As children grow into adults, they tend to call their mothers okāsan rather than other cute terms, but some adult women still call their moms mama or other childhood names.
What is ‘mother-in-law’ in Japanese?
The standard term for “mother-in-law” in Japanese is giri no haha (義理の母). You could also use gibo (義母), which is a shortened version with the same meaning.
The word giri (義理) means “obligation” or “duty,” so giri no haha is a mother bound to someone by obligation or duty. In a nutshell, this refers to a mother not related by blood, so it can mean mother-in-law, stepmother, or foster mother. You’ll need extra context to know which one!
- Kochira wa giri no haha desu.（こちらは義理の母です。）= This is my mother-in-law/stepmother/foster mother.
For simplicity and clarity, you could also refer to your mother-in-law as your spouse’s mother.
- Kochira wa otto no okāsan desu.（こちらは夫のお母さんです。）= This is my husband’s mother.
If you’re wondering what to call your own mother-in-law, a 2021 survey found that 77% of women use okāsan for their spouse’s mother. You can either use the kanji used for “mother” (お母さん), or you can use the characters from gibo instead (お義母さん). The pronunciation is the same, so the nuance is only in writing.
How to say ‘I love you, Mom’ in Japanese
Whether you tell her every day or only on special occasions, tell your mother (or anyone else) that you love her with daisuki desu (大好きです) or the more heartfelt ai shiteiru (愛している). Both mean “I love you,” but daisuki desu can also be used for things you like (“I love pizza.”), while ai shiteiru is for expressing love for another person.
- Daisuki desu yo, okāsan.（大好きですよ、お母さん。）= I love you, Mom.
- Ai shiteiru yo, okāsan.（愛しているよ、お母さん。）= I love you, Mom. (more heartfelt)
- Watashi wa okāsan ga daisuki desu.（私はお母さんが大好きです。）= I love my mother.
It’s not as common to say “I love you” in Japanese as it is in English, but if you want to express your appreciation and affection, daisuki desu is the safest option.
Other words that include the kanji character for ‘mom’
You may have noticed that haha and okāsan both include the same kanji character: 母. This character means “mother,” and it’s the character you might see in artistic renderings, like a tattoo. As is the case with most kanji, its reading changes based on which word it’s a part of.
- In the word haha (母), the kanji reading is “haha.”
- In the word okāsan (お母さん), the kanji reading is “kā.”
Although the kanji means “mother,” it doesn’t always refer to a person. Think of the kanji like a Greek or Latin root. The implied meaning is included in the word, even if its exact meaning isn’t explicitly stated.
The Japanese words in this table all include the character for “mother” without referring to a person. so be sure you don’t get them confused. You’ll notice that the kanji for “mother” isn’t read like “haha” or “kā” in these words: They’re all “bo.”
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Kanji Meanings | Word Meaning |
| 母校 | bokō | boh-koh | mother + school | alma mater |
| 母音 | boin | boh-een | mother + sound | vowel |
| 母国 | bokoku | boh-koh-koo | mother + country | one’s homeland; motherland |
| 母語 | bogo | boh-goh | mother + language | native language; mother tongue |
Rosetta Stone is the mother of all language learning programs
Learning how to say “mom” in Japanese is just the beginning. Family anecdotes can be a fun way to relate to others (“Oh, you’re visiting Spain? My mom is from Spain!”), so expanding your vocabulary to include all members of the family can broaden your conversation topics. You can learn the standard terms for parents, grandparents, and siblings when you learn Japanese through Rosetta Stone, as well as how to talk about them. Use the knowledge you’ve acquired here to make sure you remember to use okāsan to ask after other people’s mothers and haha to talk about your own!
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