How to Write 吗 (ma/mǎ) — Meaning “question particle”

Picture a horse (马) opening its mouth (口) to ask a question, like saying ‘Neigh?’ This image links the horse’s mouth to the idea of asking a question, helping you recall that 吗 turns statements into questions.

Write the left 口 small and narrow to leave room for 马. The stroke order is: first 口 (vertical, horizontal fold, final horizontal), then 马 (horizontal fold, vertical, horizontal, vertical fold hook, horizontal). A common mistake is making the 口 too large or forgetting the small hook inside 马.

吗 has 口 on the left and 马 on the right, and it is a question particle. 卟 has 口 on the left and 卜 on the right, used in onomatopoeia or transliteration, not for questions. 古 is composed of 十 above 口, meaning ‘ancient,’ and is not related to asking questions.

吗 is placed at the end of a statement to form a simple yes/no question, for example, 你好吗? (Nǐ hǎo ma?) meaning ‘How are you?’ It is very common in everyday conversation and is one of the first grammar particles learners study, functioning like a spoken question mark.

Common words containing 吗 include: 好吗 (hǎo ma) — Okay? / Is that alright?; 是吗 (shì ma) — Is that so?; 去吗 (qù ma) — Are you going?.