叔母おば

also: しゅくぼ · はくぼ

お

ば

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

Refers to a parent's sister, or sometimes an aunt by marriage. In careful writing, 叔母 is used for a younger sister of one's parent and 伯母 for an older sister of one's parent; both are read おば in ordinary speech.

Kanji

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

Related words

おばさんN5
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

叔父おじN4
叔母 refers to a parent's younger sister (a female relative), while 叔父 is the male counterpart, referring to a parent's younger brother.

Counted with

名めいN2
Used for people, especially in formal contexts such as reservations or seating; for a specific family relation like aunt, this is not the usual everyday counter, so many speakers would just avoid counting it directly.

Word family

大おお叔母おば
grandaunt; great-aunt

Written forms

叔母Usage18%
- おば
  Standard spelling for an aunt who is younger than one's parent; also encountered as the main kanji form for this word.
- しゅくぼ
  Rare Sino-Japanese reading of 叔母; the everyday reading is おば.
おばUsage58%
Kana spelling is useful when the older-versus-younger kanji distinction is unnecessary or unknown.
伯母Usage13%
- おば
  Standard spelling for an aunt who is older than one's parent.
- はくぼ
  Rare Sino-Japanese reading of 伯母; the everyday reading is おば.
オバUsage12%
はくぼ
しゅくぼ

Etymology

The everyday reading おば is the normal kinship term. The kanji spellings distinguish age relative to the parent: 伯母 for an older sister and 叔母 for a younger sister. The rare readings はくぼ and しゅくぼ reflect the Sino-Japanese readings of the characters.