old woman, grandma, wet nurse

About this kanji

The kanji 婆 primarily means "old woman" or "grandma" and is often used as a noun. This character can evoke feelings of affection, especially in casual terms such as 婆さん (ばあさん), which means "grandmother," and 婆ちゃん (ばあちゃん), a warm way to refer to "granny." Another common form is お婆ちゃん (おばあちゃん), often used with more respect. The word 老婆 (ろうば) translates to "old woman," while 悪婆 (あくば) means "mean old woman," showing how the kanji can take on different tones depending on the context. When speaking, using this kanji can convey a sense of warmth or endearment, particularly in familial settings.

Example sentences

• 祖母の婆は優しい。

  My grandmother is kind.

Meanings across languages

English

old woman, grandma, wet nurse

Tiếng Việt

bà, bà ngoại, vú nuôi

日本語

老婆, おばあさん, 乳母

한국어

노파, 할머니, 유모

中文

老妇人, 奶奶, 奶妈

id

nenek

th

หญิงชรา

es

anciana

fr

vieille femme

de

alte Frau

pt

velha

Common compounds

• 婆さんばあさんgrandmother, old woman, female senior citizen
• 婆ちゃんばあちゃんgranny, grandma, gran
• お婆ちゃんおばあちゃんgranny, grandma, gran
• 老婆ろうばold woman
• 悪婆あくばmean old woman
• 産婆さんばmidwife
• 塔婆とうばstupa, pagoda, wooden grave tablet
• 娑婆しゃばthis world, this life, the free world (outside of prison, the army, red light district, etc.)