嘛
máma HSK6

final exclamatory particle

Senses

嘛 má what

(Colloquial) Used as an interrogative word meaning "what", particularly in the common phrase 干嘛 gàn​má.

嘛 ma [obviousness]

Used at the end of a sentence to indicate that the truth of a statement is obvious or a matter of course

嘛 ma [persuasion]

Used at the end of a sentence to make a request, suggestion, or command sound more encouraging or to soften a tone of persuasion

嘛 ma [pause]

Used in the middle of a sentence to create a pause, often to highlight the preceding topic before continuing with a comment.

嘛 ma [question]

(Taiwan) Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question

References

see 嘛/嘛 → 干嘛/幹嘛
see 嘛/嘛 → 唵嘛呢叭咪吽/唵嘛呢叭咪吽
same_as 嘛/嘛 → 吗/嗎
same_as 嚜/嚜 → 嘛/嘛
same_as 麽/麼 → 嘛/嘛