A question for my Filipino fellow writers (help please)

[Leyelle]

What do you call your mother?

From what I've read, 'ina' is the technical word for mother, but would a child actually call her mother that?

for context, I have a character who is raised by a pair of best friends, so she differentiates between her Dominican mother and her Filipino mother by using different terms for them. Hence, I can't have her call her Filipino mother "mamma" because we really don't have another word for that besides "Madre" which no one uses lol.

I currently have her referring to her Filipino mother as ina, but I don't know if that's would sound weird to a native speaker. Would it be better to have her call her "nanay," or is it fine as it is?

(also said character 5 years old)

[kyupol]

They're usually called "nanay" or "nay" or "inay".

In upper class settings, it's more westernized. "Ma" "mama" "mommy" "mom" and they're usually English speaking

[Leyelle]

thank you!

(20 characters)

[sherwinrreyes]

Are you writing a story written in Filipino/Tagalog?

[skPollen]

I suggest "Nay". But if they are rich or high class then "Meh" or "Mè" would work too. That is short for "Mommy". "Mommy" also works but normally we always shorten everything to one syllable. But the most common is really just "Ma"

[Leyelle]

No, mostly in English, because the characters are first gen Americans, but they've taught their daughter a few words like please, thank you, etc. In their native languages

[Leyelle]

thank you!

(20 characters)

[sherwinrreyes]

These are good answers!