Ways to say it
| Armenian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| մայր | mayr | /mɑjɾ/ (Eastern Armenian) /mɑjɾ/ (Western Armenian) |
|
| մամա | mama | /mɑˈmɑ/ (Eastern Armenian) /mɑˈmɑ/ (Western Armenian) |
informal |
The term is used to refer to a female human who gives birth to or parents a child.
Which one should you use?
մայր is the standard term for 'mother'. In contrast, մամա is an informal term specifically used as 'mom' or 'mama' by children or within a family setting. Additionally, the diminutive form մայրիկ can be used to express endearment and affection.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
մայր is the standard and formal term used in most contexts. մամա is an informal version, and մայրիկ is also an informal diminutive used for affection.
How does it change in a sentence?
When the word մայր is used in certain syntactic positions or followed by a vowel, the definite article is attached as a suffix, often appearing as –ն, such as in մայրն.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mayr. The /m/ sound is like the [m] in mine, the /ɑ/ sound is like the [a] in lava and the /j/ sound is like the [y] in yes.
Did you know?
- The word մայր is used to describe the 'mother' of other things, such as մայր լեզու for 'mother tongue' or մայր քաղաք for 'capital city'.
- In many languages, 'mama' is a nursery word, but in Armenian, its usage was specifically reinforced by Russian linguistic contact.
- In Armenian, the word մայր can be used as a respectful way to address an older woman, even if she is not the speaker's own mother.
Examples in context
- Նա նրա մայրն է։She's his mother.This sentence shows how to use մայր to identify someone's mother.Tatoeba #13384638 by Proxima5, translation #8392774 by Amastan
- Թոմ, սա մայրդ է։Tom, it's your mother.This sentence uses մայր to tell someone it is their mother.Tatoeba #13387884 by Proxima5, translation #4065083 by Hybrid
- Քո մայրը ռուս է։Your mother is Russian.This sentence uses մայր to state a mother's nationality.Tatoeba #13524423 by Proxima5, translation #8448024 by Luiaard
- Հարգելի մայր, ինչպես եք։Dear mother, how are you?
- 79 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ani and Levon are talking about their family photos.
- Անի AniՍա իմ մայրն է:Sa im mayrn e:This is my mother.
- Լևոն LevonՆա շատ գեղեցիկ է:Na shat geghetsik e:She is very beautiful.
- Անի AniՇնորհակալություն, իմ մայր է սիրում ծաղիկները:Shnorhakalutyun, im mayr e sirum tsaghiknere:Thank you, my mother loves flowers.
- Լևոն LevonԻմ մայրը նույնպես սիրում է ծաղիկներ:Im mayre nuypes sirum e tsaghikner:My mother loves flowers too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries մայր, մամա, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries մամա, մայր, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
