妈妈
mom; mother
māma
What does 妈妈 mean?
妈妈 (māma) is the everyday Chinese word for 'mom' — the term grown adults still use to address and refer to their own mothers. Unlike English, where 'mom' can sound childish past a certain age, 妈妈 is the standard, unmarked word across all life stages. The second syllable is a neutral tone (māma, not māmā). Address forms are also 妈 (mā) on its own — like 'mom!' — and the slightly more formal 母亲 (mǔqīn), reserved for writing, speeches, and respectful contexts (Mother's Day = 母亲节 mǔqīn jié, never 妈妈节). Possessive use: 我妈妈 (my mom), 你妈妈 (your mom) — 的 is usually dropped for close family.
Note: 妈妈 is the everyday term used by speakers of all ages — equivalent to English 'mom.' For formal writing (forms, news, obituaries) the term is 母亲 (mǔqīn). Very young children may also say 妈 (mā).
Character breakdown
mom (女 'female' radical + 马 'horse' as phonetic)
repeated for the disyllabic kinship term; second syllable is neutral tone
Memory hook: The 女 (female) radical on the left marks family terms; 马 (mǎ, 'horse') is the sound clue.
Measure word for 妈妈
Example sentences
我妈妈是老师。
Wǒ māma shì lǎoshī.
My mom is a teacher.
spoken
妈妈，我饿了。
Māma, wǒ è le.
Mom, I'm hungry.
spoken
他妈妈很漂亮。
Tā māma hěn piàoliang.
His mom is very pretty.
spoken
我爱妈妈和爸爸。
Wǒ ài māma hé bàba.
I love mom and dad.
spoken
Common phrases with 妈妈
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
妈妈 appears in 5 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
母亲 is the formal/written word for 'mother.' Use it on official forms, in speeches, news, or respectful third-person reference. Don't address your mom as 母亲 at home — it sounds stiff. 妈妈 is the daily word.
妈 alone is a direct address — calling out 'Mom!' or appearing in compounds (大妈 'aunty'). 妈妈 is the full noun form for both reference and address.
Don't confuse 妈妈 with
马 (mǎ, third tone) is 'horse.' 妈 (mā, first tone) is 'mom.' Same right-side component, but 妈 has the 女 (female) radical and a flat first tone.
吗 is the question particle at the end of yes/no questions. 妈 is the noun 'mom.' Both contain 马, but 吗 has 口 (mouth) and 妈 has 女 (female).