ngok6 mou2岳母
Jyutpingngok6 mou2
Yalengohk móu
Definition
Wife's mother; mother-in-law of a married man.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
外母 is the standard, everyday term for a wife's mother in Cantonese. While 岳母 exists in written Chinese and is understood, it sounds formal or literary in a spoken context. Using 外母 feels more natural and appropriate when talking about family relationships in daily life.
Measure word
go3個goRelated words
Common phrases
meet the mother-in-law
mother-in-law (affectionate or slightly humorous)
Common mistake
Learners often use 岳母 because it appears in textbooks, but it can sound overly stiff or like you are reading from a formal document. Stick to 外母 for casual conversation to avoid sounding detached.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
