okasan

Okasan is a Japanese term meaning "mother." It is commonly used by a child or family member when addressing or referring to one’s own mother, and can also function as a polite form of address for another person’s mother in casual conversation. In kana, it is written お母さん, and in romaji it is often rendered as okaasan or okāsan, with the latter indicating a long vowel.

The word is formed from 母, meaning "mother," with the honorific prefix お- and the polite suffix さん. For more formal or respectful occasions, the term お母様 (okaasama or okāsama) is used to refer to someone else’s mother or to show high respect toward one’s own mother in formal speech.

A related but distinct term is 奥さん (okusan), which means "wife" and is not the same word as お母さん despite similar pronunciation in romaji. Within families, casual speech may use 母さん (kaasan) or かあさん (kaaa-san) for one’s own mother, especially by and among children or in informal settings.

In popular culture and language learning, okasan frequently appears in Japanese media to denote mother characters and is often translated as "Mom" or "Mother" in English adaptations. Learners typically encounter the term early in studying family vocabulary and polite form usage, making it a foundational element of addressing relatives and others in Japanese social contexts.