嘛 meaning and stroke order
Modal particle indicating that sth is obvious; particle indicating a pause for emphasis
How to write 嘛, stroke by stroke
14 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 嘛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- modal particle indicating that sth is obvious
- particle indicating a pause for emphasis
- used in 唵嘛呢叭咪吽[an3 ma2 ni2 ba1 mi1 hong1]
- (Tw) (coll.) what?
How 嘛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 麻 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嘛
嘛 is a mouth 口 next to 麻 (má), which gives the sound. Picture a mouth adding a little "ma" sound at the end of a sentence to say "come on, it's obvious."
As a neutral-tone particle, 嘛 (ma) goes at the end of a sentence to show that something is obvious, or to soften a request. It can also mark a pause before you stress a point. Example: 他是老师嘛。(Tā shì lǎoshī ma.) He's a teacher, after all.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 嘛 with the question particle 吗 (ma). 吗 turns a statement into a yes or no question, while 嘛 states something you think is obvious. Writing 你是学生嘛 instead of 你是学生吗 changes "Are you a student?" into "You're a student, obviously."
Common words with 嘛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 干嘛 | gànmá | what are you doing?; whatever for? | |
| 喇嘛 | lǎma | lama, spiritual teacher in Tibetan Buddhism |
嘛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嘛
How many strokes are in 嘛?
嘛 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嘛 mean?
嘛 (ma) means modal particle indicating that sth is obvious; particle indicating a pause for emphasis. A common word with it is 干嘛 (gànmá), meaning "what are you doing?; whatever for?".
How do you pronounce 嘛?
嘛 is pronounced ma, in the neutral tone (short and light).
What is the radical of 嘛?
The radical of 嘛 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嘛 under this radical.
Is 嘛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嘛 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 干嘛 the same as 干什么?
Yes, 干嘛 (gànmá) is a casual, spoken way to say 干什么 (gàn shénme), "what are you doing" or "what for." It can sound a little impatient depending on tone, so use it with friends rather than in formal settings.
Why does 嘛 appear in 喇嘛 and Buddhist mantras?
In 喇嘛 (lǎma) and the mantra 唵嘛呢叭咪吽, 嘛 is used for its sound to write foreign words, not for its particle meaning. Characters with the 口 radical were often chosen this way to represent sounds.