Meaning of 妈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ma
- mom
- mother
How to use 妈
On its own, 妈 is casual and often used when talking about or calling your mother. The doubled form 妈妈 (māma) is the most common everyday word, and 爸妈 (bàmā) means "mom and dad" together. Example: 我妈在家。(Wǒ mā zài jiā.) My mom is at home.
妈 (mā) combines 女 (nǚ, woman) on the left with 马 (mǎ, horse) on the right. The woman part gives the meaning, and 马 gives the sound, so think of a woman whose name sounds like mǎ: your mā.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the tones of 妈 (mā, first tone) and 马 (mǎ, third tone, horse), which can make "mom" sound like "horse." Also, 妈 is not the question particle 吗 (ma). That one uses the mouth radical 口, not 女.
妈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
妈 mā · ma · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 妈.
| 妈妈 | māma | mama; mommy |
| 大妈 | dàmā | father's elder brother's wife; aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman) |
| 他妈的 | tāmāde | (taboo curse) damn it!; fucking |
| 妈咪 | māmi | mommy (loanword) |
| 老妈 | lǎomā | mother; mom |
| 爸妈 | bàmā | dad and mom |
| 姨妈 | yímā | (coll.) mother's sister; maternal aunt |
| 姑妈 | gūmā | (coll.) father's married sister; paternal aunt |
| 阿妈 | āmā | grandma (paternal) (Tw); (dialect) mother |
| 奶妈 | nǎimā | wet nurse |
| 大姨妈 | dàyímā | mother's eldest sister (older than one's mother); (coll.) (euphemism) Aunt Flo (i.e. menst |
| 舅妈 | jiùmā | (coll.) aunt; maternal uncle's wife |
Questions about 妈
What does 妈 mean?
妈 (mā) means "ma; mom" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 妈?
妈 is made of 1 character: 妈 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 妈 an HSK word?
Yes. 妈 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 妈 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 妈 is written 媽.
Is 妈 or 妈妈 more polite?
Both are fine with family. 妈妈 sounds a little softer and is what children and most adults use. A single 妈 or 老妈 (lǎomā) sounds more casual. In formal writing people often use 母亲 (mǔqīn) instead.
Why does 他妈的 appear with 妈?
他妈的 (tāmāde) is a strong curse, roughly "damn it" or "fucking." It is taboo, so avoid it in polite company. Learners should recognize it but not use it casually.