母 means “mother”

はは · haha

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): はは, も
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ボ

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 2 · 5 strokes

The story

A woman with breasts: unconditional love, the source of nourishment and life itself.

Polite form: お母さん (okaasan). Used in Mother's Day (母の日, Haha no Hi)

Where it comes from

Pictographic (象形文字): A woman with dots indicating nurturing.

The character for mother began as the character for woman (女) with two additional dots, representing her role as a nurturer. The two dots distinguish her from the basic 女 character.

To remember it: Like 女 (woman) but with two extra dots: the distinguishing mark of a mother.

Its parts

母 Mother · Entire character

A woman with two dots representing nurturing: mother

Words with 母

父母 (ふぼ, fubo): parents
母子 (ぼし, boshi): mother and child

Example sentences

母は料理が上手です。 My mother is good at cooking.
母の日にプレゼントをあげました。 I gave a present on Mother's Day.

Kanji that look like 母

毎 (every): 毎 adds a stroke on top: a mother does things every day

More from People & Life

Learn 母 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji