1.
mom; mommy; mama
An informal, affectionate term for one's mother. Used primarily by young children, though also used by adults in casual family settings or to refer warmly to a motherly figure.
お母ちゃん、おなかすいた。
Mom, I'm hungry.
お母ちゃんの料理が一番おいしい。
Mom's cooking is the best.
大人になっても、つい「お母ちゃん」と呼んでしまう。
Even as an adult, I end up calling her 'okaachan' without thinking.
A casual, affectionate variant of お母さん, formed by replacing さん with the diminutive ちゃん. Commonly used by young children and in warm, informal family contexts.
REGISTER:
More casual and childlike than お母さん. Some adults continue using it in private, though it sounds childish in formal settings. Has a warm, down-to-earth nuance.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- お母さん: mother — the standard polite form
- ママ: mama — modern, widely used by young children and in casual settings
- 母: mother — humble form used when speaking about one's own mother to others
- おふくろ: one's mother — masculine, colloquial term used by adult men
- お母ちゃん has a more traditional, working-class, or regional flavor compared to ママ