老母

Chinese

	old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	female; mother
trad. (老母)	老	母
simp. ^#(老母)	老	母
alternative forms	老木 (lǎomù)

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lǎomǔ, lǎomù

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˇ, ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): lou⁵ mou^5-2

(Taishan, Wiktionary): lau² mu⁴
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): lāu-bú / lǎu-bú / lāu-bó

(Teochew, Peng'im): lao⁶ bho²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎomǔ [Phonetic: láomǔ]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎomǔ
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-mu³
  - Yale: lǎu-mǔ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laomuu
  - Palladius: лаому (laomu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Taiwan, imitating Hokkien pronunciation)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎomù
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎomù
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-mu⁴
  - Yale: lǎu-mù
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laomuh
  - Palladius: лаому (laomu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mu⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: lou⁵ mou^5-2
  - Yale: lóuh móu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ mou^5-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ mou^5-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ mou̯¹³⁻³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lau² mu⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau⁵⁵ ᵐbu²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Taichung, Hsinchu, Sanxia, Kinmen, Magong, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāu-bú
  - Tâi-lô: lāu-bú
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lauxbuo
  - IPA (Taipei): /lau³³⁻¹¹ bu⁵³/
  - IPA (Kinmen): /lau²²⁻¹² bu⁵³/
  - IPA (Singapore): /lau²²⁻²¹ bu⁴²/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /lau²²⁻²¹ bu⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Lukang, Philippines)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lǎu-bú
  - Tâi-lô: lǎu-bú
  - IPA (Jinjiang, Philippines): /lau³³⁻²² bu⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lau²² bu⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Lukang): /lau³³⁻²² bu⁵⁵/
- (Hokkien: Tong'an, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lāu-bó
  - Tâi-lô: lāu-bó
  - Phofsit Daibuun: lauxboir
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lau³³⁻²¹ bɤ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Yilan): /lau³³⁻²¹ bo⁵³/
  - IPA (Tainan): /lau³³⁻¹¹ bɤ⁵³/
  - IPA (Tong'an): /lau²²⁻¹¹ bo³¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: lao⁶ bho²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lău bó
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau³⁵⁻¹¹ bo⁵²/

Noun

老母

(chiefly Cantonese, Southern Min, informal, non-face-to-face) mom; mother

Usage notes

In Cantonese, it may be considered offensive or crude because of the connection with the profanity 屌你老母.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 媽媽 (“mum (non-face-to-face)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		母, 娘
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		母親
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	媽媽, 媽, 娘
	Taiwan	媽媽, 媽
	Harbin	媽, 媽媽
	Shenyang	媽媽
	Singapore	媽媽, 老媽, 媽
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	媽媽
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	媽, 媽媽, 娘
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	媽
Central Plains Mandarin	Wanrong	嬤
	Wanrong (Ronghe)	媽
	Xi'an	媽
	Xining	阿媽, 媽媽, 姆媽
	Xuzhou	媽媽, 娘, 大兒
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	媽
	Lanzhou	媽, 老媽
	Ürümqi	老娘
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	媽媽, 媽
	Wuhan	姆媽, 媽媽, 老娘, 黎山老 slang, 孟子見 dated slang
	Guiyang	媽, 老媽 humorous
	Kunming	媽媽
	Liuzhou	媽, 阿媽, 娘老, 老媽子
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	阿媽, 媽媽
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	媽
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	媽, 姆媽, 娘, 吾媽
	Yangzhou	媽媽, 姆媽, 老娘
	Nantong	娘嬭
	Hefei	媽, 媽爺
Cantonese	Guangzhou	老母, 阿媽
	Hong Kong	老母, 老媽子, 阿媽, 媽咪, 媽媽, 媽打
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	老母, 阿奶
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	阿媽, 媽
	Macau	老母
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	老母
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	老母
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	老母
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	老母
	Foshan	老母
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	老母
	Foshan (Shunde)	老母
	Foshan (Sanshui)	老母
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	老母, 母親
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	老母
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	老母
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	老母
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	老母
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	老母
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	老母
	Taishan	老母, 媽
	Kaiping (Chikan)	老母
	Enping (Niujiang)	老母
	Heshan (Yayao)	老母
	Dongguan	阿媽, 阿奶, 阿姐, 老母, 老乸 Changping, 媽媽 childish, 媽咪 childish
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	老母
	Shaoguan	老母
	Yunfu	老母
	Yangjiang	阿奶
	Xinyi	老母
	Nanning	媽, 老乸
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	俺乸
	Beihai	老奶
	Beihai (Nankang)	阿娘
	Beihai (Yingpan)	老媽, 阿嬸
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	老媽子
	Singapore (Guangfu)	老母, 阿媽
Gan	Nanchang	姆媽, 娘
	Lichuan	娘, 家母
	Pingxiang	姆媽, 娘老子
Hakka	Meixian	阿姆, 阿媽, 哀仔
	Xingning	哀哩, 阿媽
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	阿奶
	Huidong (Daling)	阿姆, 媽
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	阿姆
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	阿姆
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	阿姆
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	阿嫲, 阿娘, 阿姆
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	阿嫲, 阿娘, 阿姆, 哀哩
	Wuhua (Changbu)	阿媽, 阿姆
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	阿娘
	Wuhua (Meilin)	阿嫲
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	哀子
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	阿姆
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	阿姆
	Changting	哀哩
	Wuping	哀哩
	Wuping (Pingyu)	哀子
	Liancheng	哀
	Ninghua	姆媽
	Ruijin	哀, 乳子
	Shicheng	哀
	Shangyou (Shexi)	姐佬
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	哀仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	哀仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	哀仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	哀
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	哀仔
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	哀
	Hong Kong	阿姆
	Singkawang	哀
Huizhou	Jixi	姆, 娘
Jin	Taiyuan	媽媽, 媽
Jin	Xinzhou	波, 波波
Northern Min	Jian'ou	奶
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	娘嬭
	Fuqing	娘嬭
	Matsu	娘嬭
Southern Min	Xiamen	老母, 娘嬭, 阿娘
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	老母
	Quanzhou	老母, 阿娘
	Jinjiang	老母
	Zhangzhou	老母, 娘嬭, 豬母 humorous
	Taipei	老母
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	老母
	Kaohsiung	老母
	Yilan	老母
	Changhua (Lukang)	老母
	Taichung	老母, 媽媽
	Tainan	老母
	Hsinchu	老母
	Kinmen	老母, 俺母
	Penghu (Magong)	老母
	Penang (Hokkien)	老母
	Singapore (Hokkien)	老母
	Manila (Hokkien)	老母
	Chaozhou	阿嬡
	Shantou	嬡, 母, 阿嬡, 阿姈, 阿母
	Shantou (Chenghai)	嬡, 母
	Haifeng	媽, 媽媽
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	阿媽, 媽
	Singapore (Teochew)	母, 老母
	Leizhou	嬭, 母, 尼母, 尼姨 dated, 尼嫂 dated
	Haikou	母
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	老母, 媽媽, 媽咪
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	媽, 老娘, 嫂, 嬸, 阿媼 dated
Southern Pinghua	Binyang	母親, 嬸
Wu	Shanghai	娘
	Shanghai (Chongming)	娘
	Suzhou	娘, 姆媽
	Danyang	媽, 娘
	Hangzhou	姆媽, 媽媽, 娘
	Ningbo	阿娘, 老娘
	Wenzhou	阿媽, 阿奶, 奶
	Jinhua	娘
Xiang	Changsha	媽媽, 娘, 姆媽, 娘老子
	Loudi	依爺, 姆媽, 娘, 娘老子
	Shuangfeng	姆媽, 娘
	Hengyang	娘, 娘老倌, 娘老倌子

Hyponyms

老父 (lǎofù)

Derived terms

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lǎomǔ

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): lou⁵ mou⁵
Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): lao⁶ bho²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎomǔ [Phonetic: láomǔ]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄨˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎomǔ
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-mu³
  - Yale: lǎu-mǔ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laomuu
  - Palladius: лаому (laomu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: lou⁵ mou⁵
  - Yale: lóuh móuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ mou⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ mou⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ mou̯¹³/
Southern Min
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: lao⁶ bho²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lău bó
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lau³⁵⁻¹¹ bo⁵²/

Middle Chinese: lawX muwX

Rime
Character	老	母
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	來 (37)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)	侯 (137)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	盧晧切	莫厚切
Baxter	lawX	muwX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/lɑu^X/	/məu^X/
Pan Wuyun	/lɑu^X/	/məu^X/
Shao Rongfen	/lɑu^X/	/məu^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/law^X/	/məw^X/
Li Rong	/lɑu^X/	/mu^X/
Wang Li	/lɑu^X/	/məu^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/lɑu^X/	/mə̯u^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	lǎo	mǒu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	lou⁵	mau⁵

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*C.rˤuʔ məʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ruːʔ mɯʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	老	母
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	lǎo	mǔ
Middle Chinese	‹ law^X ›	‹ muw^X ›
Old Chinese	/*C.rˁuʔ/	/məʔ/ (? or mˁoʔ)
English	old	mother
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	老	母
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	7666	9288
Phonetic component	老	母
Rime group	幽	之
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	老	母
Old Chinese	/*ruːʔ/	/*mɯʔ/

Noun

老母

(literary) one's aging mother
(literary) old woman

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (老母):

→ Japanese: 老母(ろうぼ) (rōbo)
→ Korean: 노모(老母) (nomo), 로모(老母) (romo)

References

Fielde, Adele Marion (1883) “母 (bó̤)”, in A Pronouncing and Defining Dictionary of the Swatow Dialect, Arranged According to Syllables and Tones, Shanghai: American Presbyterian Mission Press, page 15