ma

ma · noun¹

The sound, which parents interpret as a reference to themselves, is very commonly made by infants. For more on the linguistic process whereby infants' monosyllables are tied to ancient word roots for parents, see mama, papa, mātēr, and patēr.

ma · noun²

Abbreviation.

ma · determiner³

From my.

ma · particle⁴

1. Cantonese · borrowed from嘛“of course!”
2. English todayma

From Cantonese 嘛 (maa³, “of course!”).

ma · particle⁵

From Mandarin 嗎／吗 (ma).

ma · noun⁶

1. Japanese · borrowed from間
2. Japanese · borrowed from間
3. English todayma

Borrowed from Japanese 間.

Ma · proper noun⁷

Transcription of 馬／马 (mǎ).

Words from the same roots