妈妈好
māma hǎo
The English phrase "hi mom" can be said in Chinese as 妈妈好 (māma hǎo).
妈妈好 is a casual greeting used when speaking to one's mother.
Which one should you use?
While 妈妈好 is a casual way to greet a mother, 母亲您好 is used to say "Hello, Mother" in a more formal manner.
How do you pronounce it?
māma hǎo
Did you know?
- In many traditional Chinese families, children may not greet their parents with a literal 'hello' but instead by asking if they have eaten yet using 你吃了吗.
- Chinese is a tonal language, so changing the tone of 妈 (mā) to a rising tone (má) changes the meaning from 'mother' to 'hemp'.
- While 妈妈 is the common word for 'mother', some children use 妈咪, which is a phonetic loanword from the English 'mommy'.
Example conversation
Xiaowen enters the living room and sees her mother.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen妈妈好，我买好水果了。Māma hǎo, wǒ mǎi hǎo shuǐguǒ le.Hi mom, I've bought the fruit.
- 俊杰 Junjie太好了，快放桌子上吧。Tài hǎo le, kuài fàng zhuōzi shàng ba.Great, put them on the table quickly.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，你现在在做什么呢？Hǎo de, nǐ xiànzài zài zuò shénme ne?Okay, what are you doing right now?
- 俊杰 Junjie我在准备晚餐，快去洗手。Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi wǎncān, kuài qù xǐshǒu.I am preparing dinner, go wash your hands.
