HSK 1
吗?
ma?
right?
Structure
Statement + 吗 ?
How it works
The particle '吗' (ma) is placed at the end of a declarative sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. It functions like a question mark and does not change the word order of the original statement.
Examples
你是老师吗？
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?
你好吗？
Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you?
她是你的朋友吗？
Tā shì nǐ de péngyǒu ma?
Is she your friend?
Common mistakes
Do not use '吗' in sentences that already contain a question word like '谁' (who), '什么' (what), or '哪儿' (where).
Tip
Think of '吗' as a spoken question mark; if the sentence is already a complete statement, just add '吗' to ask the question.
More HSK 1 grammar
See 吗? in real Chinese
Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.
Try InputDojo free