嘛
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Definitions
- 1. modal particle indicating that sth is obvious
- 2. particle indicating a pause for emphasis
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Character focus
Stroke order
Word relationships
Related words
2 items(question particle for \yes-no\ questions)
both are sentence-final particles; 吗 marks a yes-no question, 嘛 adds obviousness or emphasis
particle indicating that a previously asked question is to be applied to the preceding word (\What about ...?\, \And ...?\)
sentence-final particle for ongoing state or mild question; different function from 嘛
Usage notes
Common mistakes
Learners often confuse 嘛 with 吗: 吗 forms a yes-no question, while 嘛 indicates that a statement should be obvious (e.g., 你知道嘛 "you know, right?"). Using 嘛 in a simple yes-no question is ungrammatical.
Grammar
Guides that feature 嘛
Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.
Reply with 可不, 可不是 or 可不是嘛 to agree strongly with what someone just said.
Add a lively change with 啦, an “it’s obvious” or coaxing tone with 嘛, and accept options with 也好 or A也好，B也好.
Hear how tiny final particles change a sentence from question to suggestion, update, softness, or casual emphasis.
Example Sentences
2 shown这是常识 嘛 ，不用再说了。
試試 嘛 。
Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.