p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

家母

jiāmǔ
noun #37,207

Meanings

  1. 1 (humble / polite) my mother
  2. 2 my mother (used when speaking to someone outside the family)

Examples

家母身体一直不太好。
Jiāmǔ shēntǐ yìzhí bú tài hǎo.
My mother's health has never been very good.
这是家母亲手做的菜。
Zhè shì jiāmǔ qīnshǒu zuò de cài.
These are dishes my mother cooked herself.

Tips

register
家母 is a humble (谦称) form used only when speaking about your own mother to someone outside the family. The pattern 家 + kinship term works for 家父 (my father), 家兄 (my elder brother), 家姐 (my elder sister). Use the matching honorific 令 + term (令堂 'your mother', 令尊 'your father') to refer respectfully to the listener's family. In casual speech, just say 我妈.
mistakes
Never use 家母 for someone else's mother — it sounds nonsensical at best and rude at worst. And do not stack 我 in front (我家母 is wrong); the 家 already encodes 'my'.

Stroke Order

家 jiā
母 mǔ