How to Say ‘Mother (mother-in-law)’ in Japanese
お義母さん
o kaa san
[o gee-BOH san]
💬 Usage Tip: The 義 marks an in-law, but it's read exactly like plain お母さん (okāsan), so out loud the two sound identical.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Many people call their spouse's mother お母さん directly rather than by name, the same word your spouse uses. It signals you're treating her as family.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Prefix added for politeness.
お名前は？
What is your name?
義母
kaa
[gee-BOH]
mother-in-law
Formal word for one's spouse's mother; usually spoken with o- and -san.
義母は料理が上手です。
My mother-in-law is good at cooking.
さん
san
[san]
Mr.; Ms.; polite suffix
A polite suffix added to a person's name or role.
お医者さんが来ました。
The doctor came.
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