How to Write 妈 (mā) — Meaning “mom; mother”

Picture a mother (女) riding a horse (马) — the image of 'mom on a horse' helps you remember both parts. Also, the horse part sounds like 'mā', which is the same as the word for mother.

Write the left radical 女 with a slanted stroke that crosses a horizontal stroke, keeping it narrow. The right part 马 starts with a horizontal stroke, then a vertical hook curving left, and ends with a short horizontal line. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the hook in 马.

妈 means 'mother' and uses 马 on the right, while 奴 (nú) means 'slave' and has 又 (hand) on the right, and 奶 (nǎi) means 'milk' or 'grandmother' and has 乃 on the right. So they look different on the right side and have different meanings.

妈 is used informally to say 'mom', often as 妈妈 (māma), and also appears in family terms like 姨妈 (mother's sister) and 姑妈 (father's sister). In Chinese culture, calling an older woman 'ma' can show familiarity and respect, though it's usually for close relatives.

Common words containing 妈 include: 妈妈 (mā mā) — mom; mother; 姨妈 (yí mā) — aunt (mother's sister); 姑妈 (gū mā) — paternal aunt (father's sister).