Ways to say it
| Syrian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ماما | mama | |
| إمي | emmi | when talking about her, rather than to her |
ماما is what Syrians call their mother directly, used by children and grown adults alike. إمي (emmi), 'my mother', is used more when talking about her to someone else.
What does it mean word for word?
ماما is a simple, affectionate word shared with many languages. إمي joins أم, 'mother', with the ending for 'my'.
Which one should you use?
ماما is the direct address, said right to her. إمي appears in sentences about her, such as إمي طبخت, 'my mother cooked'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ماما stays comfortable at every age in Syria and is not seen as babyish for an adult to use.
Is it said differently in some regions?
ماما is used across Syria and the wider Arab world with almost no variation.
How does it change in a sentence?
إمي changes with the possessor, so أمك (ammak) means 'your mother' to a man and أمك (ammik) to a woman, with the same written form hiding the sound change.
How do you pronounce it?
ماما is stressed evenly on both syllables, exactly as it sounds in English.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using إمي to call out to her directly, instead of about her, sounds unusual. Say ماما when speaking to her.
When do people say it?
Calling across the house with ماما is one of the most common sounds in a Syrian home, continuing long after childhood.
Did you know?
- Syrians keep using ماما to address their mother well into adulthood, the way جدو and تيتا stay the words for grandparents at any age.
- The written form إمي hides a sound change, so 'your mother' said to a man and to a woman is spelled the same but pronounced differently.
Examples in context
- ماما، جاهز الغدا؟mama, jahez el-ghada?Mom, is lunch ready?
- إمي دايما بتسأل عنك.emmi dayman bitsaal annak.My mother always asks about you.
- ماما، رايحة لعند تيتا اليوم؟mama, rayha la-and teta el-youm?Mom, are you going to grandma today?
Example conversation
Jana calls out to her mother, Mama Rima, from the kitchen door.
- Janaماما، وين المفتاح؟mama, wen el-muftah?Mom, where is the key?
- Mama Rimaفوق الطاولة يا حبيبتي.fo et-tawle ya habibti.On the table, my dear.
- Janaلقيته، شكرا ماما.laaito, shukran mama.Found it, thanks mom.
- Mama Rimaمنيح، لا تنسى الباب.mnih, la tinsa el-bab.Good, don't forget the door.
