婆 — “Old Woman / Grandma / Wet Nurse” in Japanese

Master (高手)ば, ばば, ばあ

Radical ⼥ · radical 38 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Old Woman / Grandma / Wet Nurse” in Japanese is 婆, read ba, baba, baa (ば, ばば, ばあ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 老婆 (old woman).

Try it now

What does 婆 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	婆
Meaning	Old Woman / Grandma / Wet Nurse
Readings	ば, ばば, ばあ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	老婆 (old woman)

How to read 婆

婆 is read ba (ば) or baba (ばば) or baa (ばあ) depending on the word.

Words with 婆

老婆

Learn 婆 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Updated: 2026-08-28