English word origin

Etymology of mah

From Cantonese 嘛 (maa³) or Singaporean Hokkien 嘛 (--ma).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

det

Pronunciation spelling of my.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "my"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "det",
      "glosses": [
        "Pronunciation spelling of my."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Southern-US",
        "alt-of",
        "pronunciation-spelling"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

particle

Asserts that there is a straightforward or self-evident reason for something.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Cantonese 嘛 (maa³) or Singaporean Hokkien 嘛 (--ma).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention嘛yue
Borrowed-form mention嘛nan-hbl

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "particle"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "嘛",
        "tr": "maa³"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese 嘛 (maa³)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "嘛",
        "tr": "--ma"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 嘛 (--ma)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "嘛",
      "嘛#Cantonese"
    ],
    [
      "嘛",
      "嘛#Hokkien"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "Asserts that there is a straightforward or self-evident reason for something."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

particle

Used at the end of an affirmative declarative sentence to change it into a yes–no question.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 嗎／吗 (ma) or Cantonese 嗎／吗 (maa⁵).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "嗎",
        "tr": "ma"
      },
      "expansion": "嗎／吗 (ma)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "嗎",
        "tr": "maa⁵"
      },
      "expansion": "嗎／吗 (maa⁵)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "嗎",
      "嗎#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "吗",
      "吗#Chinese"
    ],
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      "嗎#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "吗",
      "吗#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for mah →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bWFo