妈
mā
To say ma, the casual word for mother, in Chinese, use 妈 (mā).
妈 is the everyday word for mother, used both when talking about her and when calling her.
Meaning: colloquial form of mother (noun)
Which one should you use?
Repeated as 妈妈 (māma), it is more common for children or when speaking affectionately.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
母亲 is the formal word for mother used in writing and official contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is mā, with a high level tone. The tone matters, since the same syllable with other tones means other things.
Did you know?
- The simplified character 妈 is composed of the radical for 'female' and the simplified character for 'horse' 马, which provides the sound.
- In Chinese culture, the phrase 妈宝男 (mā bǎo nán) describes a 'mama's boy' who is overly dependent on his mother well into adulthood.
- Because the syllable ma can mean 'mother', 'hemp', 'horse' or 'scold' depending on the tone, using the wrong tone can lead to very strange misunderstandings.
Examples in context
- 我和老干妈有爱恨交加的关系。Lao Gan Ma and I have a love-hate relationship.Here 妈 is part of 老干妈, the name of a well known chili sauce brand.Tatoeba #434111 by FeuDRenais, translation #434110 by FeuDRenais
- 你喜欢中国菜 吗 ？ (nǐ xǐhuan zhōngguó cài ma ?)Do you like Chinese food?
- 我妈妈很温柔。wǒ mā mā hěn wēn róu.My mother is very gentle.
Example conversation
A son is talking to his girlfriend about his family.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你妈妈身体好吗？nǐ mā mā shēn tǐ hǎo ma?Is your mother doing well?
- 伟 Wei她最近很健康。tā zuì jìn hěn jiàn kāng.She has been very healthy lately.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我就放心了。nà wǒ jiù fàng xīn le.Then I am relieved.
- 伟 Wei谢谢你的关心。xiè xiè nǐ de guān xīn.Thank you for your concern.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 妈, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
