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母上 (ははうえ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun
mother (honorific)
honorific or respectful (sonkeigo) dated term
A respectful, somewhat dated term for one's own or someone else's mother. Often used in historical or formal contexts; in modern casual speech, お母さん is more common.
Similar words お 母かあ さん The standard polite term for 'mother' in modern Japanese, used both for one's own mother and when addressing others' mothers. 母上 is more formal and dated.
母はは The humble term used when referring to one's own mother in formal or polite situations. 母上 is honorific, not humble.
Etymology Compound of 母 (はは, 'mother') and 上 (うえ, 'above'), an honorific suffix. The reading ははうえ reflects the older pronunciation of 上 as うえ.
劇げき
で
は
、
武ぶ
士し
が
「
母はは
上うえ
」
と
呼よ
びかける
場ば
面めん
が
よく
ある
。
In period dramas, samurai often address their mothers as 母上.
