おばさん
おばさん
hepburn obasan
aunt, middle-aged woman
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 隣のおばさんに会いました。I met the lady next door.
- おばさんは母の妹です。Auntie is my mother's younger sister.
Collocations
おばさん (obasan, aunt / middle-aged woman)おばあさん (obaasan, grandmother / old woman)伯母 (oba, aunt older than parent)叔母 (oba, aunt younger than parent)おばちゃん (obachan, casual)
Mnemonic
おばさん obasan has two senses: (1) aunt — 伯母 (oba older than parent) vs 叔母 (oba younger than parent), the kanji distinguishes, (2) an unknown middle-aged woman. Critical pitfall: obasan (auntie/middle-aged) vs obaasan (grandmother) differ by one mora — getting the length wrong is a major faux-pas. The double-a is essential.
Quick check
Difference between おばさん and おばあさん?