haha wa atarashii chawan o futatsu kaimashita.

My mother bought two new rice bowls.

Breakdown of haha wa atarashii chawan o futatsu kaimashita.

• は: topic particle
• を: direct object particle
• 買かう: to buy
• 母はは: mother

Questions & Answers about haha wa atarashii chawan o futatsu kaimashita.

Why is 母 used here instead of お母さん?

When talking about your own mother to someone else, Japanese often uses 母. It is the neutral/humble family term for your own mother in outside conversation.

• 母 = my mother / our mother, when referring to her
• お母さん = mom / mother, often when addressing her directly, or when referring to someone else’s mother

Also, Japanese often leaves out 私の if it is obvious, so 母 already naturally suggests my mother in many contexts.

What does the particle は do in this sentence?

は marks the topic of the sentence.

So 母は means something like:

• As for my mother, ...
• My mother, ...

It tells the listener what the sentence is about. It does not simply equal the English word is.

Could I say 母が instead of 母は?