Obaachan is the Japanese word for ‘grandma’, explained

What does “obaachan” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “obaachan” often to mean ‘grandma’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “obaachan” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “obaachan”
• What does “obaachan” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “grandma” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “obaachan”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “obaachan”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “obaachan”.

• obaachan – お婆ちゃん (おばあちゃん) : a noun meaning ‘grandma’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Normally, this noun is used by a grandchild to call their grandmother in Japanese. This is widely considered less formal, so suitable for casual conversations. It’s also worth mentioning here that Japanese native speakers occasionally use this noun to refer to old women in general.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “obaachan” literally mean in Japanese?

“Obaachan” consists of the following three components:

• o – お : a prefix making its following word polite.
• baa – 婆 (ばあ) : a noun which can mean a ‘grandmother’ in Japanese.
• chan – ちゃん : a suffix often used after someone’s name to call them friendly. This can be considered as the casual version of the most famous honorific suffix, “san”.

These three components tell us that “obaachan” is literally the polite but still friendly expression for ‘grandmother’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, grandchildren call their grandmothers with showing their respect and friendliness.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “obaachan” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “obaachan” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “grandma” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “obaachan” to make the object in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “suki” to emphasize its meaning.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “obaachan”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the object in the sentence.

Example #2: another usage of “obaachan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “obaachan” to say whom the speaker sometimes meets.
• au – 会う (あう) : a verb meaning ‘to meet’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “obaachan”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ni”, to become the object in the sentence.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “obaachan” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• obaachan – お婆ちゃん (おばあちゃん) : a noun meaning ‘grandma’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Normally, this noun is used by a grandchild to call their grandmother in Japanese. This is widely considered less formal, so suitable for casual conversations. It’s also worth mentioning here that Japanese native speakers occasionally use this noun to refer to old women in general. Grammatically, this is the polite but still friendly expression for ‘grandmother’ in Japanese. And actually, it is. In Japan, grandchildren call their grandmothers with showing their respect and friendliness.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.