義 母(ぎぼ)

ぎぼ

noun

mother-in-law; stepmother

formalfamily

1. mother-in-law

One's spouse's mother.

義母(ぎぼ)と同居(どうきょ)している。

I live with my mother-in-law.

義母(ぎぼ)は料理(りょうり)が上手(じょうず)だ。

My mother-in-law is good at cooking.

義母(ぎぼ)との関係(かんけい)は良好(りょうこう)です。

My relationship with my mother-in-law is good.

2. stepmother

A woman married to one's father who is not one's biological mother.

義母(ぎぼ)に育(そだ)てられた。

I was raised by my stepmother.

幼(おさな)い頃(ころ)に母(はは)を亡(な)くし、義母(ぎぼ)のもとで育(そだ)った。

I lost my mother at a young age and grew up under the care of my stepmother.

義母(ぎぼ)は実(じつ)の母(はは)のように優(やさ)しくしてくれた。

My stepmother was kind to me as if she were my real mother.

Usage

While 義母(ぎぼ) is the formal/written term, in conversation people typically address their mother-in-law as:

お義母(かあ)さん - most common (same pronunciation as the ordinary word for "mother")
義理(ぎり)のお母(かあ)さん - explicit "in-law's mother"

義母(ぎぼ) is more commonly used in:

Written documents
Speaking about (not to) one's mother-in-law
Formal contexts

The ぎ- prefix indicates a family relationship through marriage rather than blood.

Related words

義父(ぎふ) - father-in-law
義兄(ぎけい) - brother-in-law (older)
義弟(ぎてい) - brother-in-law (younger)
義姉(ぎし) - sister-in-law (older)
義妹(ぎまい) - sister-in-law (younger)
義理(ぎり)の息子(むすこ) - son-in-law
義理(ぎり)の娘(むすめ) - daughter-in-law

Related Words

Related: 義父(ぎふ) (father-in-law)

Compare: 母(はは) (mother (biological))

Related: 舅(しゅうと) (father-in-law)

Related: 義兄(ぎけい) (brother-in-law (older))

Related: 義弟(ぎてい) (brother-in-law)

Related: 義姉(ぎし) (sister-in-law)

Related: 義妹(ぎまい) (sister-in-law)

Compare: 義理(ぎり)の親(おや) (parent-in-law, stepparent)

general

Added 2026.1.18 13:42 · Revised 2026.10.7 9:26

06500/06724_gibo