See also: 毋 and 舟

Translingual [ edit ]

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character [ edit ]

母 (radical 80, 毋+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 田卜戈 (WYI), four-corner 7750 0 , composition ⿻⿻𠃋𠃌⿻⺀一)

Derived characters [ edit ]

Related characters [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

KangXi: page 588, character 25

Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 16723

Dae Jaweon: page 980, character 32

Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2380, character 3

Unihan data for U+6BCD

Further reading [ edit ]

Chinese [ edit ]

Glyph origin [ edit ]

Pictogram (象形): a woman with breasts with nipples kneeling or standing. In modern form turned on left side. Compare 女 (OC *naʔ, *nas, “woman”), which has developed similarly, but does not include dots for nipples and has lost one breast in the modern form.

Etymology [ edit ]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mow (“woman, female”).

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Definitions [ edit ]

母

Synonyms [ edit ]

Compounds [ edit ]

Derived terms from 母 丁母憂 丁母忧

丈母

丈母娘

世母

主母

九子母

乳母

亡母

介母

代母

令母

伯母

伯祖母

保母

修母畫荻 修母画荻

傅母

先母

兒母 儿母

公分母

公母倆 公母俩

公筷母匙

再生父母

分母

前母

升堂拜母

半母音

叔母

叔祖母

召父杜母

同母

單韻母 单韵母

嗣父母

四郎探母

國母 国母

國音字母 国音字母

壽母 寿母

外母

外祖母

大母

天上聖母 天上圣母

天仙聖母 天仙圣母

太師母 太师母

太母

奶母

妗母

姏母

姑母

姨母

姻母

娘母子

嫡母

嫫母

嬸母 婶母

孀母

子母印

子母扣兒 子母扣儿

子母相權 子母相权

子母船

字母

孟母

孟母三遷 孟母三迁

孟母擇鄰 孟母择邻

孟母斷織 孟母断织

季母

學而名母 学而名母

官話字母 官话字母

宜母子

家母

家祖母

寄母

寡母

岳母

工作母機 工作母机

希臘字母 希腊字母

師母 师母

床母

庶母

後母 后母

徐母罵曹 徐母骂曹

從母 从母 恩同父母

慈母

戀母情結 恋母情结

手指字母

拉丁字母

拜母

拼音字母

捲舌韻母 卷舌韵母

文母

曾母投杼

曾母暗沙

曾祖母

木母

歐母畫荻 欧母画荻

母以子貴 母以子贵

母儀 母仪

母儀天下 母仪天下

母儀足式 母仪足式

母兄

母兒 母儿

母匙

母后

母哈赤

母喪 母丧

母國 母国

母夜叉

母大蟲 母大虫

母女

母姊會 母姊会

母子

母屋

母帶 母带

母弟

母性

母性愛 母性爱

母愛 母爱

母慈子孝

母教

母斑

母本

母校

母機 母机

母權 母权

母法

母獅子 母狮子

母範 母范

母系

母系制度

母老子幼

母老虎

母舅

母艦 母舰

母親 母亲

母親節 母亲节

母語 母语

母語人士 母语人士

母財 母财

母錢 母钱

母雞 母鸡

母難日 母难日

母音

母體 母体

母黨 母党

氣母 气母

水母

水母目蝦 水母目虾

海月水母

海蛇水母

漂母

漂母進食 漂母进食

漂母進飯 漂母进饭

濁母 浊母

濁聲母 浊声母

父天母地

父母

父母之命

父母之邦

父母國 父母国

父母子女 父母官

父母恩勤

父母雙亡 父母双亡

父母骨肉

父精母血

爸母

王母

王母娘娘

王母蟠桃

珍珠母

珠母

瑤池金母 瑶池金母

生母

異母 异母

異母兄弟 异母兄弟

病母

白雲母 白云母

益母草

目蓮救母 目莲救母

祖母

祖母綠 祖母绿

禍母 祸母

結合韻母 结合韵母

繼母 继母

續母 续母

羅馬字母 罗马字母

義母 义母

老母

老母雞 老母鸡

聖母 圣母

聖母像 圣母像

聖母峰 圣母峰

聲母 声母

胡母敬

舅母

航空母艦 航空母舰

蓐母

薄母

薑母鴨 姜母鸭

螺母

螺絲母 螺丝母

衣食父母

複合韻母 复合韵母

複韻母 复韵母

褓母

西王母

親家母 亲家母

親母 亲母

親生父母 亲生父母

誼母 谊母

貝母 贝母

賢妻良母 贤妻良母

酒母

酵母

酵母菌

重生父母

金母

金雲母 金云母

阿母

雞母珠 鸡母珠

離母 离母

雲母 云母

零聲母 零声母

電母 电母

非母語人士 非母语人士

革命之母

韻母 韵母

颶母 飓母

食母

養母 养母

養身父母 养身父母

驪山老母 骊山老母

高祖母

鬼母

鴇母 鸨母

鴨母 鸭母

鴾母

黑雲母 黑云母

鼻韻母 鼻韵母

Descendants [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

Japanese [ edit ]

Kanji [ edit ]

母

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings [ edit ]

Go-on : む ( mu ) ; も ( mo )

: Kan-on : ぼう ( bō )

: Kan’yō-on : ぼ ( bo , Jōyō )

: Kun: はは ( haha , 母, Jōyō ) ; はわ ( hawa , 母 ) ; は ( ha , 母 ) ; あも ( amo , 母 ) ; おも ( omo , 母 ) ; かか ( kaka , 母 ) ; かあ ( kā , 母 )

Compounds [ edit ]

Usage notes [ edit ]

In isolation, the character 母 has 5 strokes in modern Japanese – it is not simplified. In shinjitai compound characters, such as 毎 or 海, it is simplified to 4 strokes, as 毋. In hyōgaiji characters such as 姆, however, the component is not simplified.

Alternative forms [ edit ]

Etymology 1 [ edit ]

From Old Japanese. /haha/: */papa/ → /fafa/ → /fawa/ → /fafa/ → /haha/

Medial /f/ [ɸ] regularly changes to /w/ [ɰᵝ], resulting in /fawa/ → /hawa/, the expected final form; see hawa below. This form first appears in the Heian period. However, likely due to spelling influence or reduplication associations, the earlier /fafa/ resurfaced in the late 16th century towards the end of the Muromachi period, with both forms seen until recent times, when hawa falls into disuse.[1] Initial /f-/ [ɸ] regularly becomes [h], resulting in modern [ha̠ha̠].

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( はは ) • (haha)

Usage notes [ edit ]

Only ever used to refer to one's own mother when speaking to someone else. Still widely used in modern Japanese.

Antonyms [ edit ]

Derived terms [ edit ]

Etymology 2 [ edit ]

From Old Japanese. See etymology for haha above for details.

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( はわ ) • (hawa)

Usage notes [ edit ]

Obsolete in mainstream Japanese. May persist in dialects.

Etymology 3 [ edit ]

From Old Japanese. Possibly an abbreviation of haha, or possibly the original form.

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( は ) • (ha)

Usage notes [ edit ]

Not found in isolation, only found in compounds. Obsolete and unused in modern Japanese.

Derived terms [ edit ]

Etymology 4 [ edit ]

From Old Japanese. Obsolete and unused in modern Japanese. Already falling into disuse by the writing of the Man'yōshū in 759, where it is only found in pieces written in eastern dialects.[1] Possibly cognate with Korean 엄마 (eomma, “mother”), 어머니 (eomeoni, “mother”).

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( あも ) • (amo)

( obsolete ) mother c. 759 , Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4376) 多妣由岐尓 由久等之良受弖 阿母 志々尓 己等麻乎佐受弖 伊麻叙久夜之氣

, (book 20, poem 4376) c. 759 , Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4377) 阿母 刀自母 多麻尓母賀母夜 伊多太伎弖 美都良乃奈可尓 阿敝麻可麻久母

, (book 20, poem 4377) c. 759 , Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4378) 都久比夜波 須具波由氣等毛 阿母 志々可 多麻乃須我多波 和須例西奈布母

, (book 20, poem 4378) c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4383) 都乃久尓乃 宇美能奈伎佐尓 布奈餘曽比 多志埿毛等伎尓 阿母我米母我母

Derived terms [ edit ]

Etymology 5 [ edit ]

From Old Japanese. Obsolete and unused in modern Japanese. Appears to be an alteration from amo above.

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( おも ) • (omo)

( obsolete ) mother c. 759 , Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4386) 和加々都乃 以都母等夜奈枳 以都母々々々 於母 加古比須々 奈理麻之都之母

, (book 20, poem 4386) c. 759 , Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4401) 可良己呂武 須宗尓等里都伎 奈苦古良乎 意伎弖曽伎怒也 意母 奈之尓志弖

, (book 20, poem 4401) c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 20, poem 4402) 知波夜布留 賀美乃美佐賀尓 奴佐麻都里 伊波布伊能知波 意毛知々我多米 a woman who breastfeeds and raises a child in place of a parent: a wet nurse c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 12, poem 2925) 緑児之 為社乳母者 求云 乳飲哉君之 於毛求覧

Derived terms [ edit ]

Synonyms [ edit ]

( wet nurse ) : 乳母 ( うば ) ( uba )

Etymology 6 [ edit ]

Unknown. One theory holds that this is a corrupted and abbreviated form of 御方様 (okatasama), a term to refer to or address someone else's wife (now extremely formal, but much more everyday in the Edo period), possibly influenced by children's speech:

/okatasama/ → /katasama/ → /kakasama/ → /kaka/

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( かか ) • (kaka)

( childish ) mommy, mummy 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 71) Caca. カカ (かか) Faua (母)に同じ. 母. これは子供の言葉である. また、尊敬すべき婦人、あるいは、年長で一家の主婦のような婦人の意に取られる. ( obsolete ) wife Seen in the Edo period among the lower socioeconomic classes. Used to refer both to one's own wife when talking to others, and to refer to someone else's wife.[1]

Derived terms [ edit ]

Etymology 7 [ edit ]

Alteration of kaka[1]: /kaka/ → /-kka/ → /kaː/

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

母 ( かあ ) • (kā)

Usage notes [ edit ]

Almost never seen in isolation. Most commonly seen with honorific prefix o- and honorific suffix -san, as お 母 ( かあ ) さん (okāsan).

Derived terms [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Shogakukan (in Japanese), Tōkyō ^ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin) , Third Edition (in Japanese), Sanseidō, →ISBN , Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō ^ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), NHK, →ISBN (in Japanese), Tōkyō

Korean [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ]

From Middle Chinese 母 (MC məuX). Recorded as Middle Korean 모〯 (Yale: mwo) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja [ edit ]

母 Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja

Wikisource

母 (eumhun 어미 모 (eomi mo))

Compounds [ edit ]

Compounds 고모 姑母 gomo )

) 노모 老母 nomo )

) 모교 母校 mogyo )

) 모국 母國 moguk )

) 모선 母船 moseon )

) 모성 母性 moseong )

) 모유 母乳 moyu )

) 모음 母音 mo-eum )

) 모태 母胎 motae )

) 모함 母艦 moham )

) 부모 父母 bumo )

) 분모 分母 bunmo )

) 산모 産母 sanmo )

) 운모 雲母 unmo )

) 이모 姨母 imo )

) 자모 字母 jamo )

) 효모 酵母 hyomo )

) 현모양처 賢母良妻 hyeonmoyangcheo )

References [ edit ]

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典 . [1]

Vietnamese [ edit ]

Han character [ edit ]

母: Hán Việt readings: mẫu[1][2]

母: Nôm readings: mẫu[1][2][3][4], mẹ[5]

