媽 meaning and stroke order
Mother, mama
How to write 媽, stroke by stroke
13 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 媽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ma
- mom
- mother
How 媽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 馬 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 媽
媽 (mā) is a woman 女 on the left with a horse 馬 (mǎ) on the right. The woman part gives the meaning, and 馬 gives the sound, so picture a mother riding a horse and calling out "mā".
媽 is usually doubled as 媽媽 (māma) when talking to or about your mother, and it appears in family words like 姨媽 (yímā, maternal aunt) and 姑媽 (gūmā, paternal aunt). Example: 我媽媽是老師。(Wǒ māma shì lǎoshī.) My mom is a teacher.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the tones of 媽 (mā, mother) and 馬 (mǎ, horse), or the question particle 嗎 (ma). These three share the 馬 part, so check the left side: 女 means mother, and 口 means the question word.
Common words with 媽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 媽媽 | māma | mama; mommy | HSK 1 |
| 大媽 | dàmā | father's elder brother's wife; aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman) | HSK 4 |
| 他媽的 | tāmāde | (taboo curse) damn it!; fucking | |
| 媽咪 | māmi | mommy (loanword) | |
| 老媽 | lǎomā | mother; mom | |
| 爸媽 | bàmā | dad and mom | |
| 姨媽 | yímā | (coll.) mother's sister; maternal aunt | |
| 姑媽 | gūmā | (coll.) father's married sister; paternal aunt | |
| 阿媽 | āmā | grandma (paternal) (Tw); (dialect) mother | |
| 奶媽 | nǎimā | wet nurse | |
| 大姨媽 | dàyímā | mother's eldest sister (older than one's mother); (coll.) (euphemism) Aunt Flo (i.e. menst | |
| 舅媽 | jiùmā | (coll.) aunt; maternal uncle's wife | |
| 婆婆媽媽 | pópomāmā | effeminate; old-womanish | |
| 乾媽 | gānmā | adoptive mother (traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications) |
Questions about 媽
How many strokes are in 媽?
媽 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 媽 mean?
媽 (mā) means mother, mama. A common word with it is 妈妈 (māma), meaning "mama; mommy".
How do you pronounce 媽?
媽 is pronounced mā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 媽?
The radical of 媽 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 媽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 媽?
媽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 妈, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 他媽的 (tāmāde) rude?
Yes, it is a strong curse, similar to "damn it" or worse in English. Avoid it in polite conversation, even though you will hear it in films and on the street.
What is the difference between 媽媽 and 老媽?
媽媽 (māma) is the standard, neutral word for mom. 老媽 (lǎomā) is casual and affectionate, a bit like saying "my old lady" or "Mom" in a relaxed way, and you use it mostly when talking about your own mother.