HSK Level 1

妈妈

mā ma

mother

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Example Sentences

妈妈,我饿了。

Māma, wǒ èle.

Mom, I'm hungry.

妈妈,我要喝水。

Māma, wǒ yào hē shuǐ.

Mom, I want to drink water.

妈妈,我爱你。

Māma, wǒ ài nǐ.

Mom, I love you.

Synonyms

母亲 (mǔqīn)

mother

妈妈 (māma)

mom

(niáng)

mother

Antonyms

爸爸 (bàba)

father

母亲 (mǔqīn)

mother

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word for "mother" is 妈妈 (māma). It is a reduplicated word, meaning that it is formed by repeating the same syllable twice. This is a common way to form words in Chinese, and it often indicates a close relationship or endearment. In the case of 妈妈, the reduplication emphasizes the close bond between a mother and her child.The character 妈 (mā) is a pictograph that originally depicted a woman holding a child. The character 妈 is also used in other words related to mothers, such as 母亲 (mǔqīn, "mother") and 妈妈咪呀 (māma mǐyā, "Oh my gosh!").The character 妈 is also used in other languages, such as Japanese (まま, mama) and Korean (엄마, eomma). This suggests that the word 妈妈 may have originated in a common ancestor language of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.The word 妈妈 is a beautiful and meaningful word that expresses the love and affection between a mother and her child. It is a word that is used all over the world, and it is a reminder of the universal bond between mothers and their children.