Japanese symbol for “mother”
母
はは
Romaji: haha
mother
In Japanese, mother is 母, read はは (haha).
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
- n mother
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “mother”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 母親 | ははおや hahaoya | mother |
| お母さん | おかあさん okaasan | mother; mom; mum |
| 母さん | かあさん kaasan | mother |
| ママ | ママ mama | mom; mommy; mum |
| お袋 | おふくろ ofukuro | (one's) mother |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 母親 | ははおや hahaoya | mother |
| お母さん | おかあさん okaasan | mother; mom; mum |
| 祖母 | そぼ sobo | grandmother |
| 叔母 | おば oba | aunt |
| 父母 | ふぼ fubo | father and mother; parents |
| 母さん | かあさん kaasan | mother |
See also: Chinese symbol for “mother”.
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.