嘛

Character

嘛 ma · má

HSK 6Character2 readings

modal particle indicating that sth is obvious

Radical: 口
Strokes: 14
Structure: Left–right
Parts: 口麻
Traditional: 嘛
Frequency: #1691 most common character

Practice writing

Readings and meanings

maMain reading máRare reading

ma

ma5Main readingHSK 6

modal particle indicating that sth is obvious CC-CEDICT
particle indicating a pause for emphasis CC-CEDICT

Words that use “嘛” as ma

喇嘛lǎ malama, spiritual teacher in Tibetan BuddhismWord 要嘛yào maeither ...Word 喇嘛庙lǎ ma miàolamaseryWord 喇嘛教lǎ ma jiàoLamaismWord 班禅喇嘛bān chán lǎ maPanchen LamaWord

má

ma2Reading 2Rare reading

This reading is uncommon in everyday Chinese; the main reading is ma.

Ends a sentence to show something is obvious, like 'you know'.
Softens a request or suggestion, making it sound friendly.

Examples

今天很热嘛！
jīn tiān hěn rè má
It's hot today, you know!
AI-generated sentence
别急嘛，时间还多。
bié jí má, shí jiān hái duō
Don't worry, there's still lots of time.
AI-generated sentence

Words that use “嘛” as má

干嘛gàn máwhat are you doing?Word 唵嘛呢叭咪吽ǎn má ní bā mī hōngom mani padme humWord

Stroke order

Practice writing 嘛

Draw “嘛” here — the faint guide shows its shape.

See all 7 words with 嘛 →

Same radical 口

All characters with 口 →

和hé 吗ma 嗎ma 可kě 后hòu 名míng 台tái 同tóng 员yuán 員yuán 喜xǐ 噹dāng

嘛