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Semantic Comparative Analysis of “ 麻má” and “ 嫲mā” in Mandarin Chinese and Hakka

Linguistics / 2025,7(2): 129-138 / 2025-06-12 19 17

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• Authors: Zirun YAN
• Information:

  East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai

• Keywords:
  semantic contrast; Mandarin Chinese; Hakka; má（麻）; mā（嫲）
• Abstract: Both “má”（麻）and “mā”（嫲）are ancient Chinese characters whose meanings have undergone a long process of development and change, giving them a certain research value. The study conducts a semantic comparative analysis of 麻 and 嫲 in Mandarin Chinese and Hakka. By reviewing authoritative dictionaries and utilizing the CCL corpus (Center for Chinese Linguistics, PKU), the study systematically examines the semantic meanings of both words. The findings reveal that: (1) Mandarin and Hakka share five common meanings of 麻: “crop”, “hemp products”, “loss of sensation”, “tangled and messy”, and “quick”. Yet Hakka uniquely features action-oriented meanings such as “to lie down” and “sagacious”, the latter contrasting with the meaning of “foolish” in Mandarin. (2) Both Mandarin and Hakka share the general meaning of “female” in 嫲, but Hakka lacks the semantic usage of 嫲 as an address form. Instead, Hakka uses it to denote “female” or “female animals”, and even to refer to feminine characteristics in non-living objects. (3) While 嫲 reflects inter-generational relationships and respect within the family structure in Mandarin, Hakka emphasizes gender characteristics more explicitly.
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.35534/lin.0702013
• Cite: Yan, Z. R. (2025). Semantic Comparative Analysis of “ 麻má” and “ 嫲mā” in Mandarin Chinese and Hakka. Linguistics, 7(2), 129-138.