maa1媽妈
Jyutpingmaa1
Yalemā
Definition
Tin Hau or Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea.
colloquialpeopleplaces
How it's used
Refers specifically to the sea goddess Tin Hau, often appearing in the names of temples or coastal locations. While the character is identical to the word for mother, in a religious or geographical context, it carries the weight of the deity. It is rarely used on its own in modern speech, usually appearing as part of a compound like 媽廟 or 媽娘.
Examples
Let's go to the Tin Hau temple to pray tomorrow.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the common word for mother, 媽咪, which is used in everyday address. Using this character to refer to one's own mother would be highly unusual and confusing in a modern context.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
