Meaning of 母亲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- mother
How to use 母亲
母亲 is the formal or written word for mother. You see it in essays, speeches, forms and when talking about someone's mother respectfully. In daily speech people usually say 妈妈 (māma). Example: 我的母亲是老师。(Wǒ de mǔqīn shì lǎoshī.) My mother is a teacher.
母 (mǔ) means mother, and 亲 (qīn) means close or dear, as in 亲人 (qīnrén) close relatives. So 母亲 is the closest person who is your mother.
Common mistake: Learners often use 母亲 to call their own mother directly, but you would say 妈 or 妈妈 to her face. Also keep the tones right: mǔ is third tone, and in careful speech qīn is first tone. Some speakers soften it to a neutral tone, mǔqin.
母亲 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
母 mǔ · mother · 5 strokes
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- 5
亲 qīn · parent · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 母亲.
| 父亲 | fùqīn | father; also pr. [fu4 qin5] |
| 父母 | fùmǔ | father and mother; parents |
| 亲自 | qīnzì | personally; in person |
| 亲人 | qīnrén | one's close relatives |
| 亲切 | qīnqiè | amiable; cordial |
| 亲爱 | qīn'ài | dear; beloved |
| 亲密 | qīnmì | intimate; close |
| 字母 | zìmǔ | letter (of the alphabet) |
| 祖母 | zǔmǔ | father's mother; paternal grandmother |
| 亲眼 | qīnyǎn | with one's own eyes; personally |
| 亲属 | qīnshǔ | kin; kindred |
| 母鸡 | mǔjī | hen; don't know (humorous slang mimicking Cantonese 唔知, Jyutping: m4 zi1) |
Questions about 母亲
What does 母亲 mean?
母亲 (mǔqīn) means "mother" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 母亲?
母亲 is made of 2 characters: 母 (5 strokes), 亲 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 母亲 an HSK word?
Yes. 母亲 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 母亲 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 母亲 is written 母親.
What is the difference between 母亲 and 妈妈?
They mean the same person. 母亲 is formal and used mostly in writing or serious contexts. 妈妈 is casual and used in everyday talk and when addressing your mother.
How do you say Mother's Day in Chinese?
Mother's Day is 母亲节 (Mǔqīn Jié). The formal word 母亲 is used here, not 妈妈. Father's Day follows the same pattern: 父亲节 (Fùqīn Jié).