妈妈好
māma hǎo
The English phrase "hello mum" is translated into Chinese as 妈妈好 (māma hǎo).
妈妈好 is a greeting used when speaking to one's mother. You may also use the phrase 妈妈你好 as an informal way to say "hello mum".
How does it change in a sentence?
The term 妈妈 is the standard way to say "mother" or "mom" in Mandarin.
How do you pronounce it?
māma hǎo
Did you know?
- While 妈妈好 is a literal translation, many Chinese speakers avoid using greeting phrases with parents. Instead, they might start a conversation by asking if the parent has eaten yet 你吃了吗, which functions as a way of saying 'hello'.
- The character 妈 consists of a 'woman' radical on the left and a 'horse' radical on the right. The 'horse' part provides the sound, but it creates a visual contrast between the person and the phonetic marker.
- The word 好 in 妈妈好 literally translates to 'good', meaning the phrase functions more like 'Mother is good' than 'Hello Mother'.
Example conversation
Xiaowen visits her mother at home.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen妈妈好，我给你带了水果。Māma hǎo, wǒ gěi nín dài le shuǐguǒ.Hello mum, I brought you some fruit.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好孩子，快进来坐。Hǎo háizi, kuài jìnlái zuò.Good child, come in and sit down.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢妈妈，您最近身体好吗？Xièxie māma, nín zuìjìn shēntǐ hǎo ma?Thanks mum, how has your health been lately?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我很好，不用担心。Wǒ hěn hǎo, bùyòng dānxīn.I'm very well, don't worry.
