How to say “mom” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
The first 妈 is high and flat, the second is a light neutral tone. This is the classic mā-má-mǎ-mà tone demo: get the first tone wrong and 妈 (mother) turns into 马 (mǎ, horse). 母亲 (mǔqīn) is the formal 'mother'.
In a sentence
Wǒ māma zuò de cài zuì hǎochī.
My mum's cooking is the best.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "mom" in Chinese?+
"mom" in Mandarin Chinese is 妈妈, pronounced māma. The first 妈 is high and flat, the second is a light neutral tone. This is the classic mā-má-mǎ-mà tone demo: get the first tone wrong and 妈 (mother) turns into 马 (mǎ, horse). 母亲 (mǔqīn) is the formal 'mother'.
What does 妈妈 mean literally?+
妈妈 breaks down as 妈 (mā) = mother, 妈 (ma) = (repeated, neutral). Together it means "mom".
How do I get the tones right in māma?+
The first 妈 is high and flat, the second is a light neutral tone. This is the classic mā-má-mǎ-mà tone demo: get the first tone wrong and 妈 (mother) turns into 马 (mǎ, horse). 母亲 (mǔqīn) is the formal 'mother'.
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