吗(ma)

HSK 16 strokesTrad. 嗎
Readingsmamámǎ

(coll.) what?

Print a 吗 worksheet PDFPractice writing 吗

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
ma / má / mǎ
Meaning
(coll.) what?
Strokes
6
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
嗎

Origin & structure

Where 吗 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Phonetic-semantic compound⿰口马

In this compound, the meaning comes from 口 (mouth); 马 supplies the sound.

One part carries the meaning, the other suggests the sound.

Made of

口kǒu马mǎ

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write 吗 step by step

6 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6

Words with 吗

Common words using 吗 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

gàn干má吗
HSK 3

variant of 干嘛

Open 干吗 page →
ma吗nǎ哪

manna (Israelite food)

Open 吗哪 page →
ma吗lín啉

morpholine (chemistry) (loanword)

Open 吗啉 page →
mǎ吗fēi啡

morphine (loanword)

Open 吗啡 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 吗’s common words

干哪啉啡

Ready to master 吗?

Trace 吗 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

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