お袋ふくろ

お

ふ

く

ろ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

one's mother; mom

colloquialusually written using kana alone

Colloquial, familiar term for one's own mother, mainly used by men. Often used when talking about one's mother to close friends or family. Not used to address one's mother directly.

うちのお袋ふくろは料りょう理りが上手うまいんだ。
My mom is a good cook.
お袋ふくろが子こ供どもの頃ころの話はなしをよくしてくれる。
My mother often tells me stories from her childhood.

See all 8 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉がお袋ふくろに電でん話わするto call one's mom on the phone
久ひさしぶりにお袋ふくろに電でん話わした。
I called my mom for the first time in a while.
お袋ふくろの味あじthe taste of one's mother's home cooking
この煮に物もの、お袋ふくろの味あじがする。
This simmered dish tastes just like my mom's cooking.
お袋ふくろ孝こう行こうをするto be good to / show filial devotion to one's mother
正しょう月がつくらいはお袋ふくろ孝こう行こうをしようと思おもう。
I think I'll be extra good to my mom at least during New Year's.

Kanji

袋sack, bag, pouch
母mother

Related words

母ははN5
母 is the neutral, gender-neutral term for one's own mother usable in any register, while お袋 is a casual, mainly male way of referring to one's mother.
お母かあさんN5
お母さん is the polite, widely-used word for mother that can even be used to address her directly, whereas お袋 is casual, male-leaning slang used only when talking about her to others.
母かあちゃん
お袋 is a rougher, masculine term for one's mother typically used by adult men, unlike the childlike 母ちゃん.

Opposites

おやじN1
お袋 is the casual male term for one's mother, while 親父 is its counterpart for one's father, matching in register and gender of speaker.

Written forms

お袋ふくろUsage27%
Standard kanji spelling; it is the primary form.
おふくろUsage66%
Kana spelling is common and matches usual-kana usage.
オフクロUsage7%
search-only kana form
お母ふくろ
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; the kanji 母 is normally read はは, not ふくろ.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. One theory suggests it comes from 御 (honorific prefix) + 袋 (bag), possibly referring to the mother as the one who holds the family together or manages household finances. Another theory links it to ふくろ (袋) as a term of endearment. The exact derivation is unclear.