About
The character "吗" serves as a question particle in modern Mandarin, with its origins lying in the classical Chinese word "無", which was used in interrogative sentences to form yes-no questions. Through phonetic changes and colloquial usage over time, "無" evolved into the particle "麼", which later incorporated the mouth radical to become "嗎", highlighting its oral function while using "馬" as a phonetic component. The contemporary form "吗" maintains this structural composition. Its meaning transitioned from having a negative connotation to assuming a purely grammatical role, where it now exclusively signals interrogation without retaining any original semantic content.
Example Sentences Hide
你吃饭了吗？
你会说中文吗？
你喜欢咖啡吗？
他现在在家吗？
你昨天去公园了吗？
你真的相信他吗？
如果下雨，你还来吗？
你认为这个计划可行吗？