妈妈好
māma hǎo
The English phrase 'hello mother' is translated into Chinese as 妈妈好 (māma hǎo).
妈妈好 is a greeting used when speaking to one's mother.
How do you pronounce it?
māma hǎo
Did you know?
- The character 妈 contains the 马 radical, which means 'horse', used here specifically for its sound rather than its meaning.
- Chinese is a tonal language, meaning that if you change the tone of 妈, you could accidentally say 'horse', 'hemp' or 'scold' instead of 'mother'.
- If you were to use 你好 instead of 好 in the phrase 妈妈你好, it might sound strangely formal, almost as if you are treating your mother like a stranger or a business acquaintance.
Example conversation
Xiaowen arrives home from school and sees her mother.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen妈妈好！Māma hǎo!Hello mother!
- 伟 Wei你好，晓雯。Nǐ hǎo, Xiǎowén.Hello, Xiaowen.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen您在做什么呢？Nín zài zuò shénme ne?What are you doing?
- 伟 Wei我在准备晚餐。Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi wǎncān.I am preparing dinner.
