麻 (má): hemp; flax

Meanings

1 hemp; flax
2 numb; tingling
3 pockmarked; rough

Examples

HSK 1

我的手麻了。

Wǒ de shǒu má le.

My hand has gone numb.

HSK 2

麻婆豆腐是四川名菜。

Mápódòufu shì Sìchuān míngcài.

Mapo tofu is a famous Sichuan dish.

HSK 3

麻烦你帮我一下。

Máfan nǐ bāng wǒ yíxià.

Sorry to trouble you, could you help me?

Tips

usage

麻 is used in: 麻烦 (trouble/sorry to bother you), 麻木 (numb), 麻将 (mahjong), 芝麻 (sesame). In Sichuan cuisine, 麻 refers to the numbing spicy sensation from Sichuan peppercorns.

culture

麻辣 (má là, numbing-spicy) is the signature flavor of Sichuan cuisine. The 麻 (numbing tingle from Sichuan peppercorns) is distinct from 辣 (chili heat) - together they create a unique sensation.

Components

pictograph

麻 má

hemp; numb

Compound pictograph: 广 (lean-to shed) sheltering two hemp-fibre stalks (historically 朩, not literal trees). The char depicts hemp being processed under a roof. 麻 is Kangxi radical 200 and the parent of 摩, 磨, 蘑. Treated as a single self-component because the radical and the char are identical.

Radical

Hemp Kangxi #200

The hemp / fiber radical, an ideogram of stripped hemp fibers (林) drying under a 广 shed roof. Indexes a small family: 麾 (banner), 靡 (waste / extravagant), 魔 (demon — phonetic borrowing from 麻). The 'numb' and 'pockmarked' meanings of 麻 itself are extensions from the rough, fibrous texture of hemp.