爸爸妈妈
bàba māma
The English phrase 'mom and dad' is translated into Chinese as 爸爸妈妈 (bàba māma).
爸爸妈妈 is a collective term used to refer to one's parents. It is a direct way to say 'mom and dad' and is often used by children or when speaking affectionately about parents.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 'mom' is often referred to as 媽咪. In Shanghainese, 'dad' is referred to as 阿爸.
How does it change in a sentence?
A common, more concise way to say 'mom and dad' is the compound 爸妈 (bàmā).
How do you pronounce it?
bàba māma
Did you know?
- In China, it is common to refer to your parents-in-law as 爸爸 and 妈妈 as if they were your own, reflecting the traditional integration of a spouse into the other's family.
- The term 爸 (bà) is a phonetic imitation of the sounds used by infants across many different linguistic cultures, a common trait in many languages to represent the 'father' figure.
- When addressing parents with extreme respect in historical dramas or formal literature, you may encounter the term 慈父 (cífù) for 'kind father' or 慈母 (címǔ) for 'kind mother'.
Examples in context
- 爸爸妈妈在叫我们。Mom and dad are calling for us.This sentence shows the use of 爸爸妈妈 to refer to parents calling for someone.Tatoeba #10961062 by xjjAstrus, translation #13810411 by frpzzd
- 我想爸爸妈妈了。Wǒ xiǎng bàba māma le.I miss mom and dad.
- 爸爸妈妈都很爱你。Bàba māma dōu hěn ài nǐ.Mom and dad both love you very much.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a family trip.
- 俊杰 Junjie你的爸爸妈妈去哪儿了？Nǐ de bàba māma qù nǎr le?Where did your mom and dad go?
- 雨婷 Yuting他们去上海旅游了。Tāmen qù Shànghǎi lǚyóu le.They went to Shanghai for a trip.
- 俊杰 Junjie那是很棒的旅行！Nà shì hěn bàng de lǚxíng!That is a great trip!
- 雨婷 Yuting我也想和爸爸妈妈一起去。Wǒ yě xiǎng hé bàba māma yīqǐ qù.I want to go with mom and dad too.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
