おばさん

お

ば

さ

ん

JLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

aunt

honorific or respectful (sonkeigo)familiar languageusually written using kana alone

Honorific/familiar term for one's aunt. The kanji 伯母さん (older than parent) and 叔母さん (younger than parent) are available but the word is usually written in kana.

おばさんが手て作づくりのケーキを持もってきてくれた。
My aunt brought a homemade cake.
夏なつ休やすみに田舎いなかのおばさんの家いえに遊あそびに行いった。
During summer vacation I went to visit my aunt's house in the countryside.

Kanji

伯chief, count, earl
母mother
叔uncle, youth

Related words

叔母おばN4
叔母 is the formal word for one's aunt used in writing and formal speech, while おばさん is the everyday, more casual term that can also refer to any middle-aged woman.

Opposites

おじさんN5
おばさん refers to one's aunt (or an older woman), while おじさん is the male counterpart referring to one's uncle (or an older man).

Don't confuse with

おばあさんN5
おばさん means 'aunt' or a middle-aged woman, while おばあさん (with a longer あ sound) means 'grandmother' or an elderly woman.
おっさん
おばさん refers to a middle-aged woman or aunt, while おっさん refers to a man; the two sound similar but denote opposite genders.
母かあさん
おばさん (aunt/middle-aged woman) sounds similar to 母さん/お母さん but refers to a different, non-maternal relation.
おばあちゃん
おばあちゃん (with a long ā sound) means grandma or an elderly woman, while おばさん (short a) means aunt or a middle-aged woman, so the vowel length changes the meaning entirely.

Counted with

人にん
The everyday counter for people: 一人 (ひとり), 二人 (ふたり), 三人 (さんにん).
名めいN2
More formal than 人 — used for headcounts in reservations, staff lists, and announcements (5名様).

Written forms

伯母おばさん
Specifically an aunt older than one's parent.
叔母おばさん
Specifically an aunt younger than one's parent.

Etymology

Derived from をば (oba, 'aunt') + honorific さん. The kanji 伯母 and 叔母 are Chinese borrowings that distinguish seniority.