岳母 yuèmǔ wife's mother, mother-in-law
How to remember 岳母: 岳 mountain peak + 母 mother = wife's mother, mother-in-law.
Characters
How it is used
- A man's mother-in-law - his wife's mother - 我陪岳母去医院 (wǒ péi yuèmǔ qù yīyuàn) I took my mother-in-law to the hospital.
- Formal/respectful term used by the husband. In casual speech many just say 丈母娘 (zhàngmuniáng).
- Gender-specific: only the wife's side. The husband's mother, from the wife's view, is 婆婆 (pópo). Don't mix up the sides.