(lǎo mā) - mum, my mother (informal) in Mandarin
lǎomāTraditional: 老媽
Translation
mum, my mother (informal)
Word origin
A compound of 老 (lǎo), here the familiar prefix that also gives 老爸 and 老公, and 妈 (mā, mother), whose character is 女 (woman) beside 马 (mǎ, phonetic).
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 老 (lǎo, familiar prefix) + 妈 (mā, mother)
Stroke order
老
妈
Examples
。
My mum's cooking is the best there is.
。
Mum is on the phone again.
。
He goes home every weekend to keep his mum company.
。
My mum knitted this jumper.
，插。
When Mum is speaking, nobody dares interrupt.
老妈 (lǎo mā) is mum, in the relaxed register you use with friends or inside the family. It pairs with 老爸 for dad, and it usually refers to your own mother rather than being used to address her directly, though children do call out 老妈 at home.
The register is worth getting right. 妈妈 is the everyday neutral word, 母亲 is the formal and written one, and 老妈 is the affectionate, slightly jokey one. You would say 我老妈 to a friend and 我母亲 in a job interview.
The trap is the 老. It is not the 老 of 老人 and does not mean your mother is old - the same prefix appears in 老公 for a husband of twenty-five. Because it is familiar rather than respectful, keep it for your own mother. Someone else's mother is 你妈妈 or, politely, 您母亲, and calling an acquaintance's mother 老妈 will sound rude.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
老妈: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "老妈" (mum, my mother (informal)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 56.