嘛 — particle
particle (obviousness): after all
How to pronounce it
嘛 is read ma. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 口 “mouth”; on the right, 麻 má hints at the reading.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “嘛”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 嘛. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 他还是个孩子嘛。tāháishìgeháizimaHe's just a kid, after all.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Okay, enough!”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 嘛 mean?
嘛 (ma) means “particle (obviousness): after all”.
How do you write 嘛?
嘛 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 嘛?
嘛 is read ma. Tones: ma — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“particle” in the lesson “Okay, enough!”
This word is from the topic “Connectors and particles” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free