A colloquial word for mother, the female parent. Mom, mum, or mother; also used in terms for older women like 大妈. A woman (女) beside a horse (马) — she works as hard as a horse for her family.
Chinese does not put 妈 directly before 我 to mean 'my mom'; use 我妈妈 or 我妈.
When talking about one's own mother, Chinese usually says 妈妈 without the measure word 一个.
妈 means mother; 马 means horse. They sound similar but are different characters.
妈 (mā) has the woman radical 女 on the left, so it means mother. 马 (mǎ) means horse and is a separate character. The horse part in 妈 is mainly for sound, not meaning.
| Character | Meaning | Key difference |
|---|---|---|
| 妈 | mother | has 女 (woman) radical |
| 马 | horse | no 女 radical; means animal |
妈妈 is the standard, affectionate form; 妈 alone is shorter and often used in compounds or casual speech.
妈妈 is the common word for mom in everyday speech and is safe for beginners. 妈 by itself can sound a bit abrupt, but it appears in words like 爸妈 (parents) and in direct address in some regions.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 妈妈 | standard, affectionate | 妈妈，你好！ |
| 妈 | short, in compounds or casual | 爸妈 |
Before you read, meet the grandparents! This rhyming chant helps you practice the different names for maternal and paternal grandparents in Chinese. Listen to the beat and repeat.
爸爸的 妈妈 叫什么？
爸爸的 妈妈 叫奶奶。
宝宝，宝宝，我再问你 妈妈的 爸爸叫什么？
妈妈的 爸爸叫姥爷。
妈妈的 妈妈 叫什么？
妈妈的 妈妈 叫姥姥。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
爸爸喝热茶 妈妈 吃冷菜。
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