When my daughter was 2 years old, I decided to relearn Mandarin Chinese and teach her our heritage language. Music has been an important resource for getting us both excited about learning unfamiliar Chinese words.
I first introduced popular Western songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (song lyrics and activities here and here). Then my auntie suggested 世上只有妈妈好 / 世上只有媽媽好 (In This World, Only Mama Is Good), a Chinese song that my late mother used to sing during my childhood.
I’m happy to share printable lyrics in simplified and traditional Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and English in this post!
Mother’s Day (母亲节 / 母親節)
In both the United States and China, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. This year, Mother’s Day falls on May 12, 2019.
Learning to sing 世上只有妈妈好 / 世上只有媽媽好 with my children
Initially, I had trouble learning 世上只有妈妈好 because it made me very nostalgic for my late mother. I longed to hear her sing this Chinese song, and listening to it made me fight back tears.
After my daughter heard 世上只有妈妈好 on iTunes, she fell in love with it. The past sadness has been replaced with joy with my daughter, and now my son who can sing the sweet melody along with us.
Since we also love my husband and think he’s the best dad, we often sing the song twice, the second time substituting 妈妈 for 爸爸 (bàbà / daddy)! 🙂
My children also like to add in 姐姐 (jiějiě / big sister), 弟弟 (dìdì / little brother), and 耶稣 (Yēsū / Jesus) to the lyrics!
Related: 100+ Popular Chinese Songs for Kids!
世上只有妈妈好 / 世上只有媽媽好 on iTunes
There are many versions of 世上只有妈妈好; our 2 favorites on iTunes for young learners are as follows:
The first version is sung very slowly and clearly by a woman accompanied by guzheng. The second version is sung by a man at a relatively moderate speed, but it’s easy to understand. The only difference is the man says “像个宝” instead of “像块宝” (different choice of measure word in first stanza, second line).
Girls singing 世上只有妈妈好 / 世上只有媽媽好 YouTube video
Here is a video of a 6-year-old girl, 唐子宜 (Tángzi yí), singing《世上只有妈妈好》.
Guzheng 世上只有妈妈好 / 世上只有媽媽好 YouTube video
We also enjoyed watching this lovely 古筝独奏 /古箏獨奏 (Gǔzhēng dúzòu / Guzheng solo). Guzheng is traditional Chinese string instrument that is played by plucking.
For reference, here are the lyrics in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, and pinyin! I have also included an English translation below.
Related: Educational Chinese YouTube Channels for Kids
世上只有妈妈好 Simplified Chinese Lyrics
世上只有妈妈好
有妈的孩子像块宝
投进了妈妈的怀抱
幸福享不了
世上只有妈妈好
没妈的孩子像根草
离开妈妈的怀抱
幸福哪里找
世上只有媽媽好 Traditional Chinese Lyrics
世上只有媽媽好 有媽的孩子像塊寶 投進了媽媽的懷抱 幸福享不了 世上只有媽媽好 沒媽的孩子像根草 離開媽媽的懷抱 幸福哪裡找
Related: 5 Basic Tips for Memorizing Chinese Characters
世上只有妈妈好 Hanyu Pinyin
Shìshàng zhǐyǒu māmā hǎo
Yǒu mā de háizi xiàng kuài bǎo
Tóu jìnle māmā de huáibào
Xìngfú xiǎng bùliǎo
Shìshàng zhǐyǒu māmā hǎo
Méi mā de háizi xiàng gēn cǎo
Líkāi māmā de huáibào
Xìngfú nǎlǐ zhǎo
English translation
In this world, only mama is good
A child with a mom is like a piece of treasure
Run into your mom’s embrace
You will enjoy endless happiness!
In this world, only mama is good
Without mom, you are like a blade of grass
Away from mom’s embrace
Where will you find happiness?
Printable Lyrics for 世上只有妈妈好 /世上只有媽媽好
This year, my daughter and I learned how to write the Chinese characters for this song. I printed out the Chinese writing worksheet below, and then we cut and paste the characters onto construction paper.
My daughter wanted us to write with sparkly gel pens, and we decorated the paper with heart and gem stickers! This would make a lovely gift for Mother’s Day!
Click on the hyperlinks below to preview, download, and print the desired version of the lyrics. Note that printing directly from a webpage may result in missing words on the page, so please print only from downloaded pdf files.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!
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Lyrics only
Chinese writing worksheet
- 世上只有妈妈好 – Simplified Chinese – Writing practice worksheet
- 世上只有媽媽好 – Traditional Chinese – Writing practice worksheet
More Chinese songs for children
Music is a beautiful and engaging way to motivate children to learn Chinese! Learn about how we use song lyrics for writing practice and explore our other favorite Chinese music for children!
Teach kids Chinese with hands-on activities
- Chinese Mother’s Day Cards – free printable in simplified and traditional Chinese
- Chinese Father’s Day Cards – free printable necktie book!
- Family Members Heart Matching Game – free printable in simplified and traditional Chinese
- Family Photos Learning Activity for Kids: Sight Word Envelope Surprise!
- People by Peter Spier – Book Review and 人 Chinese Character Learning Activities
Teach children how to read Chinese
- When and How to Introduce Chinese Characters to Kids?
- 10 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Read
- Create a Print-Rich Environment with Labels that Promote Literacy
- How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
- 5 Ways My Child and I Are Learning Mandarin Chinese from Audiobooks
- When Should My Child Learn Hanyu Pinyin?
Sunny says
what a great idea! and so beautiful! thanks for sharing!
Corinne says
Dear Betty,
Thanks for sharing all your hard work! I suggest inserting the word “having” into your English sentence “A child with a mom is like (having) a piece of treasure.” if that makes sense to you.
All the best,
Corinne