母語

• 読み: ぼご
• ローマ字: bogo
• 漢字の分解: 母 (bo/haha) — mother; 語 (go) — language, word
• 発音: /bo.ɡo/

意味

Mother tongue; native language. The first language a person acquires from birth.

A noun referring to the language a person naturally acquires as a child, typically from their parents. In linguistics, 母語 is the precise technical term for 'first language' or 'L1.' Slightly more academic than 母国語 (bokokugo), which ties the language to a country. 母語 focuses on the individual's personal first language regardless of nationality — useful when a person's native language differs from their country's official language.

例文

1. 母語が日本語でない学生も多く在籍している。
2. 母語の影響で外国語の発音が難しいことがある。
3. 子どもは母語を自然に身につける。

使い方ガイド

場面: linguistics, education, academics

トーン: academic

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 母 (bo, mother) + 語 (go, language). Literally 'mother language' — the language inherited from one's mother, paralleling the English 'mother tongue.'

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Educated