Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 媽媽 / 妈妈 | māma | ||
| 母 | mǔ | /mu²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /mu⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 媽 / 妈 | mā | ||
| 娘 | niâ | /niũ²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Lukang, Yilan, Kinmen, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Sanxia, Magong) /niũ²³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Lukang, Yilan, Kinmen, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Sanxia, Magong) |
Hokkien |
| 娘親 / 娘亲 | niû-chhin | Hokkien | |
| 母親 / 母亲 | bó-chhin, bú-chhin | Hokkien | |
| 阿姆 | a-ḿ | /a⁴⁴⁻³³ m̩⁵³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Taipei, General Taiwanese) /a⁴⁴⁻²² m̩⁴²/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Singapore, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to a female human who gives birth to or parents a child. In formal or metaphorical contexts, such as describing the 'mother of success,' the single character 母 is often used. The phrase 待之如母 can be used as a verb meaning to treat as a mother would be expected to.
Which one should you use?
The reduplicated form 媽媽 is the common, informal way for children to address their mother, similar to 'mommy' or 'mama' in English. In contrast, the form 母親 is more formal and is used in written language or when speaking about one's mother in a respectful, objective manner. The single character 媽 is a shortened form of 媽媽 and is frequently used in casual speech or as a component in other words.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, several forms exist including ма, мучин, мама, нён and чиннён. In Hokkien, you can use 娘, 娘親 / 娘亲, 母親 / 母亲 or 阿姆.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 媽媽 / 妈妈 is māma.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word for 'mother' 媽 is also used as the first part of a very common swear word to insult someone's ancestors.
- The character 母 is a pictograph that originally depicted a woman with breasts, emphasizing the act of nurturing.
- Depending on the tone used, the sound 'ma' can mean 'mother' 媽, 'hemp' 麻, 'horse' 馬 or a questioning particle 嗎.
Examples in context
- 我不是你母親。I'm not your mother.This sentence uses the form 母 to demonstrate a personal negation.Tatoeba #1946499 by egg0073, translation #1943924 by Spamster
- 失敗是成功之母。Failure is the mother of success.This sentence uses the form 母 in a metaphorical expression.Tatoeba #1068604 by sadhen, translation #1068605 by eastasiastudent
- 母亲给我们沏茶。Mother is making tea for us.This sentence uses the form 母 to describe a mother performing an action.Tatoeba #1467075 by sadhen, translation #320541 by CN
- 我爱你，母亲！I love you, mother!
- 妈妈，您辛苦了！Mom, you worked hard!
- 娘，我回来了！Mom, I'm back!
- 老妈，您要好好休息一下。Mom, you need to take a good rest.
- 224 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries 母, 娘, 阿姆, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
