<p><code>吗</code> is a simplified Chinese character.</p>

<p>You can tell from the short horizontal line where traditional would have four dots or legs.</p>

<p><code>嗎</code> is the traditional Chinese character equivalent.</p>

<p>So if you really need <code>吗</code> you should install Simplified instead of or as well as Traditional Chinese.</p>

<p>Traditional is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, but most people in those places do not use pinyin input. In Taiwan zhuyin input is most popular. In Hong Kong and Macau nonphonetic input methods such as cangjie are most popular.</p>

<p>Simplified is used in mainland China and Singapore and most people do use pinyin to type it. There are many implementations of pinyin input editors for different operating systems. I'm not familiar with Macs but I am positive it ships with a pinyin input method for simplified Chinese.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-12T08:00:21.273Z
I found another keyboard mapping "pinyin-simplified". Thanks.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-12T07:31:09.687Z
2014-02-12T07:31:09.687Z
hippietrail
<p>As you are using the "Pinyin - Traditional" input method, maybe what you can see will only be the traditional character "嗎". To convert it into simplified Chinese, try <a href="http://www.hao123.com/haoserver/jianfanzh.htm" rel="nofollow">this tool</a> by pasting it into the blank and click the second button.</p>

<p>By the way, sometimes we also use "麼" (or "么" in simplified form) at the end of a question. And the corresponding Pinyin should be "me", although most Chinese may pronounce it as "mo".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-12T07:59:40.820Z
Ta for the info re me/mo.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-11T15:40:46.473Z
2014-02-11T15:40:46.473Z
Paul Allen
<p>I will recommend to install <code>google pinyin</code>, its url is here: 
<a href="http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/</a></p>

<p>with that, you can easily get 吗 with  <code>ma</code></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-12T07:58:59.270Z
That's a Windows thing.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-12T04:14:34.223Z
2014-02-12T04:14:34.223Z
Bill
<p>My Mac has a "Pinyin - Traditional" keyboard mapping that shows the most frequently used Chinese characters for the sound typed (i.e. "m" or "a") so I can select the Chinese character I want. This works well for very frequently used words.</p>

<p>But oddly enough, even though "ma" (the question particle) is (I think) very often used, it is not in the frequent list of "m".</p>

<p>Is it not so often used as I think? Is there an easy way to type it using the Pinyin-Traditional keyboard mapping?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-10T19:08:18.313Z
Found it in Pinyin-Simplified.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-10T20:38:31.977Z
Yes 吗 is simplified. You can tell from the short horizontal line where traditional would have four dots or legs: 嗎.
hippietrail
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-11T02:22:18.440Z
For me, I use "google pinyin", the first of "ma" is 吗
Sam Liao
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-11T10:21:36.847Z
hippietrail, yours is the answer. Please make it an answer so I can accept it.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-11T10:22:36.147Z
arsane, I don't understand your comment.
Andrew J. Brehm
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-19T02:24:53.050Z
The pinyin keyboard for Mac learns. So if it isn't the first item on the first row or even in the first row, if you search until you find it and use it, and use it frequently, it ends up becoming the first item on the first row. It sorts the characters based on how much you use each.
Ming
<pinyin><traditional-characters><input-methods>
How can I type 吗 in Pinyin keyboard setup?
# How can I type 吗 in Pinyin keyboard setup?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-02-10)

My Mac has a "Pinyin - Traditional" keyboard mapping that shows the most frequently used Chinese characters for the sound typed (i.e. "m" or "a") so I can select the Chinese character I want. This works well for very frequently used words.

But oddly enough, even though "ma" (the question particle) is (I think) very often used, it is not in the frequent list of "m".

Is it not so often used as I think? Is there an easy way to type it using the Pinyin-Traditional keyboard mapping?

**Tags:** pinyin, traditional-characters, input-methods

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Found it in Pinyin-Simplified.  
> **username_1**: Yes 吗 is simplified. You can tell from the short horizontal line where traditional would have four dots or legs: 嗎.  
> **username_2**: For me, I use "google pinyin", the first of "ma" is 吗  
> **username_0**: username_1, yours is the answer. Please make it an answer so I can accept it.  
> **username_0**: arsane, I don't understand your comment.  
> **username_3**: The pinyin keyboard for Mac learns. So if it isn't the first item on the first row or even in the first row, if you search until you find it and use it, and use it frequently, it ends up becoming the first item on the first row. It sorts the characters based on how much you use each.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-02-12. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

`吗` is a simplified Chinese character.

You can tell from the short horizontal line where traditional would have four dots or legs.

`嗎` is the traditional Chinese character equivalent.

So if you really need `吗` you should install Simplified instead of or as well as Traditional Chinese.

Traditional is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, but most people in those places do not use pinyin input. In Taiwan zhuyin input is most popular. In Hong Kong and Macau nonphonetic input methods such as cangjie are most popular.

Simplified is used in mainland China and Singapore and most people do use pinyin to type it. There are many implementations of pinyin input editors for different operating systems. I'm not familiar with Macs but I am positive it ships with a pinyin input method for simplified Chinese.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I found another keyboard mapping "pinyin-simplified". Thanks.  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2014-02-11. Score: 3

As you are using the "Pinyin - Traditional" input method, maybe what you can see will only be the traditional character "嗎". To convert it into simplified Chinese, try [this tool](http://www.hao123.com/haoserver/jianfanzh.htm) by pasting it into the blank and click the second button.

By the way, sometimes we also use "麼" (or "么" in simplified form) at the end of a question. And the corresponding Pinyin should be "me", although most Chinese may pronounce it as "mo".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ta for the info re me/mo.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-02-12. Score: 0

I will recommend to install `google pinyin`, its url is here:
<http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/>

with that, you can easily get 吗 with `ma`

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: That's a Windows thing.  

---

