母 is more formal than 妈 (mā). Key compounds: 母亲 (mǔqīn, mother), 父母 (fùmǔ, parents), 母语 (mǔyǔ, mother tongue), 祖母 (zǔmǔ, grandmother), 字母 (zìmǔ, letter of the alphabet).
Components
pictograph
母mǔ
mother
Pictograph of a kneeling woman with two dots marking her breasts — emphasising her role as a nursing mother, in contrast to 女 (woman, no dots). One of the oldest characters in the script. 母 is Kangxi radical 80 and the parent of 每, 毋, 海.
