Mother’s Day is celebrated in most parts of the world, honoring the importance of mothers in families and society. In the United States, the holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in 1907, who had lobbied for the establishment of the day as a federally recognized holiday after the passing of her mother in 1905. Nowadays, it is celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May.
Heart to Home Meals wishes all mothers and grandmothers a Happy Mother’s Day this year. To celebrate, we’ve learned 7 ways to say “Mom” in other languages.
- French
The French word for “Mother” is Mère, but many children use the affectionate Mama instead.
- Spanish
In Spanish, “Mother” is Madre. Children also use Mamá or Mami. There are also regional varieties, such as Amá in rural Mexico or Cuchita in Colombia.
- German
The formal way to say “Mother” in German is Mutter. Diminutives include Mama, Mütterchen, or Mütterlein.
- Russian
In Russian, “Mother” is мать (mat). Mom is мама (mama). More affectionate ways of saying Mom are мамочка (mamochka) and мамуля (mamulya).
- Arabic
In Modern Standard Arabic, the word for “Mother” is أم (Omm). Affectionate versions vary across the Arabic-speaking world. In the Levant, ماما (mama) or مامي (mami) are used. In Kuwait and Qatar, يُمّه (yumma) is used.
- Chinese (Mandarin)
In Chinese, the formal word for "Mother" is 母亲 (Mǔqīn), but most children just call their moms 妈妈 (mama).
- Japanese
The Japanese word for "Mother" is お母さん (Okaasan). Little children also use use 母さん (kaasan) or ママ (mama).
As you might have noticed, “Mama” is used across the world in many different languages. Many linguists believe that the reason for this is because it’s one of the easiest sounds for babies to make. To learn more, take a look at this article: Why the Words for ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ Sound So Similar in So Many Languages - The Atlantic
References:
How To Say “Mom” In Different Languages | Beelinguapp Blog
How to Say Mom in Spanish Like a Native Speaker - SpanishToMind
How Do Germans Call Their Parents? – MostUsedWords
How to Say Mother in Russian — LearnRussian Speak Russian (rt.com)
Different Ways to Address Mother in Chinese (newconceptmandarin.com)
How Do You Say Mother in Japanese? Here are 8 Different Ways! (thetruejapan.com)