---
title: "Dama Meaning: 大妈 (dàmā) Means “auntie”"
description: "大妈 (traditional 大媽, dàmā) means “auntie (polite address for an older woman)”. Hear its tones, see what 大 and 妈 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dama"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 大妈 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

大妈 dàmā

## auntie (polite address for an older woman)

## It can also mean

- wife of father's elder brother

## Its characters

1. 大 dà older
2. 妈 mā (after a surname) address for an older maid or nanny

## In a sentence

大妈，您慢点走。 Auntie, take care as you walk.

跳舞的大多是中老年女性，大家常叫她们“广场舞**大妈**”。

From [广场舞为什么这么火？ · Why do Chinese aunties dance in public squares?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/why-do-chinese-aunties-dance-in-public-squares#library-word-168-170)

[More about 大妈](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%A4%A7%E5%A6%88)

## More words with 大 or 妈

- [大巴 dàbā](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daba)
- [大臣 dàchén](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dachen)
- [大大 dàdà](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dada)
- [大胆 dàdǎn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadan)
- [大地 dàdì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadi)
- [大都 dàdōu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dadou)
- [大多 dàduō](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daduo)
- [大方 dàfang](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dafang)
- [大幅 dàfú](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dafu)
- [大概 dàgài](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dagai)

## Keep 大妈 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

## Look up another word

## See any word in its sentence

Get a card like this for every word on any page or YouTube subtitle.

[Add to Chrome](https://mandarinthewild.com/go/chrome?from=%2Fmeaning%2Fdama) [Read in the Library](https://mandarinthewild.com/library)

[Hear any Chinese read aloud](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-text-to-speech)

[How it compares with Language Reactor](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/language-reactor)