吗
吗 (ma) means “question particle”. It is made of 口 + 马 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word.
Break 吗 into its parts
What 吗 is made of
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 马 mǎ — horse
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: 口 gives the meaning, 马 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
你是学生吗？Nǐ shì xuéshēng ma?Are you a student?
你喜欢喝茶吗？Nǐ xǐhuan hē chá ma?Do you like tea?
Also built with 口
- 中zhōngmiddle
- 京jīngcapital
- 亮liàngbright
- 叫jiàoto be called
- 右yòuright (direction)
- 号hàonumber
- 吃chīto eat
- 同tóngsame
- 名míngname
- 后hòubehind
- 吧baparticle for suggestions (let's…)
- 听tīngto listen
Quick facts
| Pinyin | ma |
|---|---|
| Meaning | question particle |
| Strokes | 6 |
| Radical | 口 (mouth, #30) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3.0 · Level 1 · HSK 2.0 · Level 1 |
Questions about 吗
What does 吗 mean?
吗 (ma) means “question particle”.
How many strokes does 吗 have?
吗 has 6 strokes.
What is the radical of 吗?
The radical of 吗 is 口 (kǒu, “mouth”), Kangxi radical number 30.
What parts make up 吗?
吗 is made of 口 (mouth) and 马 (horse).
Which HSK level is 吗?
吗 is in HSK 3.0 · Level 1 and HSK 2.0 · Level 1.
Learn 吗 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 · Group 2: 10 words with quick checks and spaced repeats.