嘛

má = m + a2

used in 唵嘛呢叭咪吽[an3 ma2 ni2 ba1 mi1 hong1] / (Tw) (coll.) what?

ma = m + a5

modal particle indicating that sth is obvious / particle indicating a pause for emphasis

嘛 = 口 + 麻 : Mahatma Gandhi (m) retreated to the top of the ashram (a5) to start another hunger strike. Soon the 喇嘛 climbs to the top as well using a hemp (麻) rope, hands him a mandarin (口) and asks him what the hell he is doing (干嘛).

嘛 character breakdown

嘛
- 口
- 麻
  - 广
    - 丿
    - 亠
      - 一
      - 丶
  - 林
    - 木
      - 八
        
        丿
        
        ㇏
      - 十
        
        一
        
        丨

口

kǒu = k + ou3

mouth / classifier for things with mouths (people, domestic animals, cannons, wells etc) / classifier for bites or mouthfuls

Mnemonic symbol: 口 shall be represented by a mandarin. Karl Marx (k-) is enjoying a mandarin in the outhouse's living room (ou3).

麻

蔴

má = m + a2

variant of 麻[ma2] / hemp

麻 = 广 + 林 : Mahatma Gandhi (m) is busy deploying Christmas Trees (林) in the ashram's kitchen (a2). He attaches each of the small forest's (林) trees to a parachute (广) using flax fiber (麻) and then throws them towards their destination.

麻

má = m + a2

surname Ma

麻

má = m + a2

generic name for hemp, flax etc / hemp or flax fiber for textile materials / sesame / CL:縷|缕[lü3] / (of materials) rough or coarse / pocked / pitted / to have pins and needles or tingling / to feel numb