HSK 1 · Question words

吗

ma

question particle (yes/no)

Stroke order of 吗

吗 is written with 6 strokes. Watch the animation, then try writing it yourself.

Memory trick

A mouth '口' shouting at a horse '马': 'Are you coming?' — every yes/no question.

Parts: 口 mouth + 马 horse (phonetic)

Example sentence

你是老师吗？

Are you a teacher?

Words with 吗

干吗why; what to do

More words: Question words

什么what 哪which 哪儿where 哪里where 哪些which (plural)多少how many; how much 几how many (small numbers); several 怎么how; why 呢particle (and you? / what about?)干什么what to do; why 吧(suggestion particle)

Learn to write it by hand

Bloomko is a free Android app: write characters stroke by stroke, practise with spaced repetition and get an AI tutor that works offline. Be the first to know when it launches.