Chinese character for mother: 母 (mǔ)
The Chinese character for mother is 母 (mǔ). It means mother and appears in 母亲 (mǔqīn, mother) and 母爱 (mǔ'ài, a mother's love). In everyday speech, children call their mother 妈妈 (māma).
How 母 is built
母 is a pictograph that grew out of 女 (nǚ, woman). Ancient forms showed a kneeling woman with two dots added on her chest, representing breasts: a woman who nurses a child, a mother. This is a standard explanation. 母 also means female, as in 母鸡 (hen), and it is the base of 每 (měi, every). It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
母 mǔ · mother
母 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 5 strokes.
Origin hint: A mother's breasts (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 母 is used
Other ways to say mother
- 妈妈 māma — mom, mum; what children say every day
- 母亲 mǔqīn — mother, the respectful written word
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 母 alone also means 'female', so 母亲 or 妈妈 makes a tattoo for your mother clearer.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for mother?
母 (mǔ) means “mother”.
How do you pronounce 母?
母 is pronounced mǔ.