Chinese word

大妈

Pronunciation

Pinyindà mā

Meaning

  • nounmiddle-aged woman

Example

公园里很多大妈在一起跳广场舞。gōng yuán lǐ hěn duō dà mā zài yì qǐ tiào guáng chǎng wǔ

Many middle-aged women are square dancing together in the park.

Illustration for 大妈 (middle-aged woman)

More examples

市场上几位大妈在买菜。shì chǎng shàng jǐ wèi dà mā zài mǎi cài

Several middle-aged women are buying groceries at the market.

Core concept

A conversational label that places a woman in the older, motherly generation within an everyday social setting.

Common phrases

  • 公园里的大妈gōng yuán lǐ de dà mā

    middle-aged women in the park

  • 大妈跳广场舞dà mā tiào guáng chǎng wǔ

    middle-aged women square dancing

  • 和大妈聊天hé dà mā liáo tiān

    chat with middle-aged women

Similar words

阿姨ā yí: A familiar form of address for an older woman, whether related or not.
女士nǚ shì: A respectful and neutral form of address for a woman in a formal setting.
大姐dà jiě: A conversational form of address for an older woman that shows friendliness or respect.

Definition in Chinese

口语中用来称呼比自己年纪大的女性的词语，可指熟悉的邻居或公共场合的中年妇女，语气可亲切也可带戏谑。kóu yǔ zhōng yòng lái chēng hū bǐ zì jǐ nián jì dà de nǚ xìng de cí yǔ kě zhǐ shú xī de lín jū huò gōng gòng chǎng hé de zhōng nián fù nǚ yǔ qì kě qīn qiè yě kě dài xì xuè

Word origin

The compound 大 (dà, "older") + 妈 (mā, "mother") applies the idea of an older mother figure beyond the family to everyday speech.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may treat age labels as neutral descriptions, but this word used directly to someone also signals a level of familiarity, so a formal setting calls for a more neutral form of address.

Opposites

Word lists with this word