What is まま- mama in Japanese?

In this article, we are going to talk about the suffix まま that appears a lot in some Japanese phrases, and especially in songs. We are not talking about the word まま which can also mean mother, so be careful not to confuse them within a sentence.

Table of Content

What is the まま (mama) for?

まま (mama) is a suffix that you add when you want to say:

As he, while, remains, being, still, keep, carry on
Just, way it is, you are, just like that
do like, like
Some condition, state, situation that does not change
Continuing to do something, to keep some condition the way it is
Remains in a certain condition or state
Stay in a certain condition or state
As one likes, as one wants
When doing something, etc;

Well, these many literal meanings and translations of the suffix まま only make us more confused. To put it simply, まま is a grammatical word to express the lack of change in something. For you to better understand its usage, we will show you many examples.

A very common example is when you enter a konbini, buy a small product, and take the cashier, she will say:

このままでよろしいですか? Kono mama de yoroshīdesu ka?

She's saying, "Could it be the way it is?" The word 宜しい (yoroshi) is a more polite version of いい which means: Right? How are you? Is good?

how to form

After this little example, we are left wondering when to use this word, and how to form it together with a particle, adjective and noun. Remembering that the meaning or translation of sentences that have まま will depend on the context.

1 - のまま

The particle の is used to link a noun with the word まま.

昔のまま - mukashi no mama - The way it was, the way it used to be, the way it used to be
学生のまま - gakusei no mama - As a student
今のまま - ima no mama - Leave now
有りのまま - arinomama - all the truth, fact, as it is

2 - いまま e なまま - まま can be used to link adjectives.

若いまま - wakaimama - to be like a young person, just to be young
不便なまま - fuben'na mama - remains inconvenient
綺麗なまま - kirei na mama - stay beautiful, always be beautiful
悲しいまま - kanashiimama - to be sad, to always be sad, to remain sad

3 - Demonstrative Adjectives

このまま - kono mama - just this, only this, just this one, the way it is, in this form
あのまま - ano mama - just like that, in that way

4 - Verbs

The word まま can accompany verbs, most often used in the past tense and giving an idea of “leaving”.

開けたまま - aketa mama - leave open (past tense)
座ったまま - suwatta mama - to sit, to remain seated
思うまま - omou mama - I still think, as you wish, satisfy the heart, as you think
言うまま - deixar dizer
食べてないまま - tabenaimama - to go without eating, to remain without eating
言われるまま - iwarerumama - and it continues to be said, it continues to be said

5 - が

Placed before the mama to emphasize the meaning.

思うがまま - omougamama - as you wish
言うがまま - iugamama - as someone tells you;
あるがまま - as things should be, ought to be

Example Phrases

Finally, let's leave some example sentences, so you can examine and understand in depth the meaning of the word まま.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
すべて私がそこを去った時のままでした。	Subete watashi ga soko o satta toki no mamadeshita.	Everything was as it was when I left there.
この家はこのままにしておきたい。	This-ka wants to stay like this.	I like this house as it is.
エアコンをつけたまま出かけた。	Eakon o tsuketa mama dekaketa.	I left without turning off the air conditioning.
テレビをつけたまま寝てしまいました。	I fell asleep while the TV was still on.	I slept and left the TV on.
このまままっすぐ進んでください。	Kono mama massugu susunde kudasai.	(Please) keep going.
私達は友達のままだった。	Watashitachi wa tomodachi no mamadatta.	We remained friends.
相手に言われるままの値段を払った	Aite ni iwa reru mama no nedan o haratta	I paid the price I was told to pay.
彼は名声を欲しいがままに手に入れた。	He achieved fame as he wished.	He gained the fame he had desired.
彼女に別れを言わないまま日本に来てしまった。	Kanojo ni wakare o iwanai mama Nihon ni kite shimatta.	I came to Japan without saying goodbye to my girlfriend.

Remember that there is another suffix that means "to leave things as it is" which is the "っぱなし" that can be used along with some verbs. But let's leave this to another article.

Sourcesmaggiesensei, guidetojapanese