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ma

Level ≈B1 (approx.) noun Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common
Hanoi [maː˧˧]Huế [maː˧˧]Saigon [maː˧˧] browser voice
Syllables · tones
malevelngang

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

ma means ghost; anyone.

Chinese characters: 魔 Classifier: con — e.g. một con ma (one ghost)

Meanings of ma in English

Noun

  1. ghost (spirit appearing after death)
  2. colloquial, in the negative, slightly vulgar anyone
    • Có thấy ma nào đâu!(I) don't see anyone!
  3. archaic a demon ≈ quỷ

Words with ma

đám mađi đời nhà mama chayma dama laima menma trơiphim matha mathây mama túyMa Kếtma thuậtma bùnma côma-dútma giáoma gàma kétma lanhma lựcma mútma nữma quáima quỷMa-rốcma sátma sơma trận

Example sentences with ma

  • Tôi không tin là có ma. I don't believe that ghosts exist.
  • Tôi nghĩ là ma có thật. I think ghosts exist.
  • Hãy kể cho tôi một câu chuyện ma. Please tell me a ghost story.
  • Không, tôi không sợ ma. No, I'm not afraid of ghosts.
  • Anh ấy sẽ ở lại Rô-ma trong bao lâu? How long will he stay in Rome?
  • Hãy kể cho tôi nghe một câu chuyện ma. Please tell me a ghost story.
  • Ma có thật không? Are ghosts real?
  • Chúng tôi ngồi thành vòng quanh đống lửa kể cho nhau nghe truyện tếu và truyện ma. We stayed around the bonfire telling jokes and horror stories.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 魔.

Frequently asked questions

What does ma mean in English?

ma (noun) means "ghost; anyone".

How do you pronounce ma?

IPA: Hanoi [maː˧˧]; Saigon [maː˧˧]. Tones: ma — level tone (ngang).

Is ma a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. ma is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 魔.

What classifier is used with ma?

Common classifiers: con — for example "một con ma" (one ghost).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.