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.
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