妈妈好
māma hǎo
The English phrase 'hi mum' is translated into Chinese as 妈妈好 (māma hǎo).
妈妈好 is a casual greeting used when speaking to one's mother. You can also say Mama, ni hao (妈妈，你好) to convey the same meaning as Ni hao, mama.
How do you pronounce it?
māma hǎo
Did you know?
- The character 妈 (mā) is a phono-semantic compound, combining the 'female' radical with the character for 'horse' 马 (mǎ) to provide the sound.
- The word 好 (hǎo) is composed of the characters for 'woman' 女 and 'child' 子, reflecting an ancient cultural view that having both represented 'goodness'.
- While 妈妈 is the standard for 'mum', some children use the more childish 妈咪 (māmī), which is a phonetic loanword from the English 'mummy'.
Examples in context
- Ni hao, mama! Zenme chulai le? (你好，妈妈！怎么出来了?)Hi mum! How did you manage to come out?
- Mama, ni jintian hao ma? (妈妈，你今天好吗？)Mum, are you doing good today?
Example conversation
Zhiqiang arrives at the kitchen to greet his mother.
- 志强 Zhiqiang妈妈好，你在做什么呢？Māma hǎo, nǐ zài zuò shénme ne?Hi mum, what are you doing?
- 梓涵 Zihan我在准备晚餐，快洗手吧。Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi wǎncān, kuài xǐshǒu ba.I'm preparing dinner, go wash your hands.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，闻起来真香！Hǎo de, wén qǐlái zhēn xiāng!Okay, it smells delicious!
- 梓涵 Zihan快去吧，志强。Kuài qù ba, Zhìqiáng.Go on, Zhiqiang.
