King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “ma”

Romaji: okaasan
mother; mom; mum; ma

In Japanese, ma is , read (okaasan).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. n mother; mom; mum; ma
  2. n wife
  3. pn you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); she; her

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

mother
on: ボ
kun: はは、も
5 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “ma”

WordReadingMeaning
ぶんがくしゅうし bungakushuushiMaster of Arts; MA
たんいりょうきんくいき tan'iryoukinkuikimessage area; MA
おっかあ okkaamother; mom; ma

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
ははおや hahaoyamother
そぼ sobograndmother
おば obaaunt
ふぼ fubofather and mother; parents
かあさん kaasanmother

See also: Chinese symbol for “ma”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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