How to write マ (ma) in katakana
マ (ma) never takes the voicing marks. Its shape keeps a part of the kanji 末 (“end”). It takes two short strokes: the first from the top left going rightwards then down and left, the last ending at the bottom. Loanwords that begin with it: マイ (“my”), マス (“mass”), ママ (“mom”) and マヤ (“Maya…”).
- Romaji
- ma
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 末
- Hiragana
- ま
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- Horizontal then left-falling ㇇top leftrightwards → down and left
- Dot ㇔centerdown and right
Where マ comes from
- Katakana
- 末, a part of the kanji
- Hiragana
- ま from 末
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 末 (“end”).
Look-alikes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Words with マ
249 common JMdict katakana words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| マイ | mai | my; one's own |
| マス | masu | mass; mass (media, production, etc.) |
| ママ | mama | mom; mommy |
| マヤ | maya | Maya (ancient Indian tribe in Central America) |
| マン | man | man |
| マイク | maiku | mike; mic |
| マイム | maimu | mime |
| マイル | mairu | mile |
| マウス | mausu | mouse; (computer) mouse |
| マキシ | makishi | maxi (skirt, coat, etc.); maxim |
Practice sheet
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