吗 (ma)

吗 is a sentence-final particle that converts any statement into a yes/no question. It is one of the simplest and most essential particles in Mandarin.

Meanings

[particle] Question marker for yes/no questions (always sentence-final).

Example Sentences

你是学生吗？ Nǐ shì xuésheng ma? Are you a student?

你吃饭了吗？ Nǐ chīfàn le ma? Have you eaten?

他今天来吗？ Tā jīntiān lái ma? Is he coming today?

这个好吃吗？ Zhège hǎo chī ma? Is this delicious?

Usage Notes

吗 always appears at the very end of the sentence. It cannot be used in the same sentence as question words like 什么 (shénme, what), 哪 (nǎ, which), or 怎么 (zěnme, how) — those question words already make the sentence a question. To answer a 吗 question, you typically echo the main verb or use 是/不是 or 对/不对. There is no single "yes" or "no" in Chinese — the answer matches the verb used in the question.

Collocations or Common Phrases

Phrase	Meaning
好吗？	is that okay?
对吗？	is that right?
你好吗？	how are you? (are you well?)
是吗？	really? is that so?
去吗？	are you going?

Memory Hook

吗 has the mouth radical (口) — your mouth opens to ask, and 吗 is the sound of asking at the end.