母 mǔ — female; mother
母亲节我送给妈妈一束花。Mǔ qīn jié wǒ sòng gěi mā ma yí shù huā.On Mother Day I gave my mom a bouquet of flowers.
Common words: 父母 (fù mǔ)、母亲 (mǔ qīn)、字母 (zì mǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "mother"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "mother", including 母 (mǔ), 娘 (niáng), 娘 (niáng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "mother" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 母 (mǔ), 娘 (niáng), 娘 (niáng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span mǔ, niáng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 母 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 母 mǔfemale; motherUseful words: 父母, 母亲
- 娘 niángmother; young lady; mother; troubledUseful words: 姑娘, 新娘
- 娘 niángmother; young lady; mother; troubledUseful words: 姑娘, 新娘
Common words for these 3 "mother" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 母 (mǔ) — so "mother" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "mother".
娘 niáng — mother; young lady; mother; troubled
新娘穿着一身漂亮的红衣服。Xīn niáng chuān zhe yì shēn piào liang de hóng yī fu.The bride is wearing a beautiful red dress.
Common words: 姑娘 (gū niang)、新娘 (xīn niáng)、娘的 (niáng de)
娘 niáng — mother; young lady; mother; troubled
新娘穿着一身漂亮的红衣服。Xīn niáng chuān zhe yì shēn piào liang de hóng yī fu.The bride is wearing a beautiful red dress.
Common words: 姑娘 (gū niang)、新娘 (xīn niáng)、娘的 (niáng de)
All 3 characters
Open 母、娘、娘 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.