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媽 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
媽māmother, mamazg, 13 strokes, radical 女
mā(ma1)ma T1
  1. 1mother, mama
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March 24, 2026

媽mā(ma1)

媽 (mā) means 'mother' or 'mama' in Mandarin. It is a term of endearment and respect, commonly used in both casual and formal contexts to refer to one's mother. The character is a fundamental part of familial vocabulary, often appearing in phrases that express love and care.

Strokes13Radical女
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, the mother is often seen as a central figure in the family, symbolizing care and nurturing. The term 媽 is deeply rooted in respect and affection, reflecting the importance of maternal relationships in Chinese society.

Memory tip

Imagine a child calling out to their mother, 'Mā!' as they run into her arms. The character 媽 looks like a mother holding her child, with the '女' radical on the left representing 'woman' and the '馬' sounding like 'mā,' which helps to remember the pronunciation.

Meanings of 媽

mā(ma1)
1mother, mama
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 媽

媽Simplified
13Strokes
女Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 媽

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Podcast: 媽

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AI Study Notes for 媽

Quick Contrast

妈妈 (māmā) is a more affectionate and informal term for 'mother,' while 媽 (mā) can be used in both casual and formal contexts.

Usage Notes

Common mistakes include confusing 媽 (mā) with 媽媽 (māmā), which is a more colloquial way to say 'mama.' Keep in mind that 媽 is often used in affectionate contexts, while 媽媽 can be used more broadly. Note the tone; using a flat tone may lead to misunderstandings.

HSK Study Tips

While 媽 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary, it is essential for building familial terms. Students should focus on pronunciation and contextual usage, as understanding family-related vocabulary is crucial for everyday conversations.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly pronounce 媽 with a falling tone, saying 'mà' instead of the correct high-level tone 'mā.' Another common error is using 媽 in formal writing, where 母亲 is more appropriate.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 媽

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Etymology of 媽

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 马 represents the sound.

Memory hint

woman

Semantic (meaning)女
+
Phonetic (sound)馬
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

媽 = 女 + 馬. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 媽

IDS Structure⿰女馬
媽Full character
=
女nü3
left
馬ma3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 媽?

How to say mother, mama in Chinese

“mother, mama” in Chinese is媽mā

媽 (mā) means 'mother' or 'mama' in Mandarin. It is a term of endearment and respect, commonly used in both casual and formal contexts to refer to one's mother. The character is a fundamental part of familial vocabulary, often appearing in phrases that express love and care.

When to use 媽

Common mistakes include confusing 媽 (mā) with 媽媽 (māmā), which is a more colloquial way to say 'mama.' Keep in mind that 媽 is often used in affectionate contexts, while 媽媽 can be used more broadly. Note the tone; using a flat tone may lead to misunderstandings.

媽 or something close to it

妈妈 (māmā) is a more affectionate and informal term for 'mother,' while 媽 (mā) can be used in both casual and formal contexts.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistakenly pronounce 媽 with a falling tone, saying 'mà' instead of the correct high-level tone 'mā.' Another common error is using 媽 in formal writing, where 母亲 is more appropriate.

Write 媽

媽

Practice writing 媽 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 媽

Words containing this character18
妈妈māmamama媽媽
妈māma媽
他妈的fucking他媽的
姨妈maternal aunt姨媽
妈咪mommy (loanword)媽咪
大妈dàmāfather's elder brother's wife大媽
姑妈paternal aunt姑媽
干妈adoptive mother (traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications)乾媽
阿妈nurse阿媽
奶妈wet nurse奶媽
后妈(coll.) stepmother後媽
舅妈(coll.) aunt舅媽
妈祖Matsu, name of a sea goddess still widely worshipped on the SE China coast and in SE Asia媽祖
婆婆妈妈effeminate婆婆媽媽
老妈子amah老媽子
姆妈mom姆媽
事儿妈(coll.) fussbudget事兒媽
老大妈"Madam" (affectionate term for an elderly woman)老大媽
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 媽

What does 妈妈 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 媽

媽 is pronounced with a high-level tone, like 'mā.' Ensure you maintain the tone to convey the correct meaning.

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