吗(ma)
Yes/No Question Particle
Structure Pattern
Explanation
The simplest way to form a yes/no question in Chinese is to add 吗 (ma) to the end of a statement. The word order stays exactly the same — you just add 吗 at the end. This is much simpler than English, which requires changing word order ("You are" → "Are you?").
Example Sentences
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Nǐ hǎo ma?
How are you? (Are you well?)
Nǐ shì lǎoshī ma?
Are you a teacher?
Tā xǐhuān Zhōngguó cài ma?
Does he like Chinese food?
Nǐ yǒu māo ma?
Do you have a cat?
Common Mistakes
Common Mistake
你是不是中国人吗？
Correct Usage
你是不是中国人？
The particle 吗 is used to turn a statement into a yes/no question. When using other question structures like A-not-A (e.g., 是不是), 吗 is redundant and should not be added.
Related Grammar Points
To Be
shì
是 (shì) is one of the most fundamental verbs in Chinese. It functions like "to be" in English but is used specifically to link a subject to a noun or pronoun — NOT to an adjective. Unlike English, you don't use 是 to say "I am happy" (that uses 很 instead). Think of 是 as an equals sign: A 是 B means "A = B".
Follow-up Question Particle
ne
呢 (ne) is used for follow-up questions meaning "what about...?" or "how about...?" It's a conversational shortcut — instead of repeating the full question, you just say the subject + 呢 to ask the same question about a different topic.
Master 吗
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