mother
HSK level
母亲 is written with 14 strokes (母: 5, 亲: 9). The animation replays automatically.
母亲 (mǔqīn) is the formal noun for 'mother.'
Unlike English, which uses 'mother' both as a term of address and a neutral reference, Chinese keeps a sharp register split: you almost never call your mom 母亲 to her face — that would sound stiff and cold. Instead 母亲 appears in writing, formal introductions, official documents, respectful third-person reference ('my mother is a doctor'), and set expressions. The warm, everyday equivalent is 妈妈 (māma).
母亲 also carries figurative and ceremonial weight: 母亲节 is Mother's Day, 祖国母亲 is 'the motherland,' and 母亲河 ('mother river') is a poetic name for a nation's founding river. So while 妈妈 is intimate and spoken, 母亲 is dignified and often literary — choosing between them signals exactly how formal you intend to be.
Note: 母亲 is the formal, respectful word for mother, used in writing, introductions, and when speaking respectfully about (not to) one's mother. In everyday speech you address and refer to your own mom as 妈妈 (māma) or 妈 (mā).
Character by character
Memory hook: 母 (mother) + 亲 (kin) — the closest of relatives, your mother.
我的母亲是一名老师。
Wǒ de mǔqīn shì yì míng lǎoshī.
My mother is a teacher.
neutral
每年五月我们都会庆祝母亲节。
Měi nián wǔ yuè wǒmen dōu huì qìngzhù Mǔqīn Jié.
Every May we celebrate Mother's Day.
neutral
母亲的爱是最伟大的。
Mǔqīn de ài shì zuì wěidà de.
A mother's love is the greatest of all.
written
他从小由母亲一个人抚养长大。
Tā cóngxiǎo yóu mǔqīn yí ge rén fǔyǎng zhǎngdà.
He was raised single-handedly by his mother from childhood.
written
妈妈 is the warm, everyday word used to address your mom and in casual speech. 母亲 is formal and used in writing or respectful reference. Call her 妈妈 at home; write 母亲 in an essay.
The single character 母 rarely stands alone in modern speech; it appears in compounds (父母 parents, 母语 mother tongue). Use 母亲 or 妈妈 for 'mother' as a standalone noun.
母语 means 'mother tongue / native language,' not a person. It uses 母 in the sense of 'source/original,' not 'mother' the parent.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 母亲 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
