ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

(yes/no question particle)

ma
6 strokes · 口 (mouth) + 马 (horse, phonetic) · HSK 1

Where 吗 comes from

吗 = 口 (mouth) + 马 (horse, for the sound). The mouth radical marks it as a spoken sound-word; toneless 'ma' is its whole job — a little question mark you say.

吗 in Chinese culture

吗 is the magic word that turns any statement into a yes/no question. Just add it to the end: 你好 (you're well) → 你好吗? (Are you well?). 是 (it is) → 是吗? (Is that so?). 你是老师 → 你是老师吗? (Are you a teacher?). No word order changes, no rising 'do/does' — Chinese just tacks on 吗. One of the most powerful single characters for a beginner.

Example

好吗 hǎo ma — OK? / is it good?

你好吗?
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you? (Are you well?)

How to remember it

A mouth (口) sound you add at the end — turns a statement into a yes/no QUESTION.

吗 is the easiest grammar in Chinese: add it to ANY statement to ask yes/no. 他是中国人 → 他是中国人吗? No reordering, no 'do/does'. Just 吗.

Same sound, different tones

Words unlocked by 吗

你好吗? Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
是吗? Shì ma?
Is that so? / Really?
LEARN 吗 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS