ChiramiN5 kanji · 5 strokes
母 means mother
母
母Real origin
It began as a woman (女) with two dots added, for a mother feeding her baby.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meaning
- mother
- JLPT level
- N5
- Strokes
- 5
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) はは haha
はは (haha) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
Other Japanese readings: も mo
From Chinese (onyomi) ボ bo
ボ (bo) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
お母さん おかあさん · okaasan
mother, mom
Built from
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
毋 Used in 11 kanji
See all 3 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 母 mean?
Right: 母 means mother.Not quite: 母 means mother.In お母さん (おかあさん), what kind of reading does 母 have?
Right. お母さん (おかあさん, okaasan) has a special reading: it belongs to this word, not to 母 on its own, so you learn it with the word.Not quite. お母さん (おかあさん, okaasan) has a special reading: it belongs to this word, not to 母 on its own, so you learn it with the word.