お母(かあ)さん

お母(かあ)さん is the standard polite term for "mother," used both as a form of address and as a reference term.

USAGE:

• Addressing one's own mother directly: お母(かあ)さん、晩(ばん)ご飯(はん)は？
• Referring to someone else's mother: お母(かあ)さんはお元気(げんき)ですか。
• Children and adults alike use this form in everyday conversation.

FORMALITY LEVELS:

• お母(かあ)さん: standard polite (most common)
• 母(はは): humble form (used when referring to one's own mother in formal situations)
• お母(かあ)さま: very formal/respectful
• ママ: casual, used by young children or in informal settings
• おふくろ: colloquial, typically used by adult men

NOTE:
In formal speech and writing, use 母(はは) for one's own mother and お母(かあ)さん (or 母上(ははうえ)) for someone else's mother. This inside/outside (内(うち)/外(そと)) distinction is important in Japanese.