What does amah mean?
An amah is a woman employed to care for children or to work as a domestic servant, most closely associated with China and neighboring parts of East and Southeast Asia. In the great trading cities of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Penang, the amah was a familiar fixture of household life: she dressed the children, kept the nursery, cooked, cleaned, and often remained with a single family for decades, becoming a deeply trusted — sometimes beloved — figure. The title came to denote a particular class of experienced, professional household worker, and many amahs wore distinctive uniforms and lived with the families they served. Though the role has largely faded from contemporary life, the word survives vividly in memoirs, historical fiction, and accounts of colonial-era Asia, where it evokes an entire vanished world of household service and quiet devotion.
nounA woman employed as a nursemaid or domestic servant, especially in China and other parts of East Asia; more broadly, a maid or female attendant.
- A nursemaid or child's caretaker, especially in Chinese households.
- A general female domestic servant or maid in East and Southeast Asia.
"The children were devoted to their amah, who had cared for them since infancy."
"Their amah walked the twins to school each morning through the narrow streets of old Singapore."
"In the great house at Hong Kong, the amah kept the nursery immaculate and the children impeccably dressed."
Regular plural; simply add -s.
"The great houses of old Shanghai employed whole teams of amahs."
The word 'amah' sailed into English aboard Portuguese trading ships, carried from Europe's own nurses into the colonial households of Asia.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amah
Amah entered English during the colonial era, borrowed from Portuguese ama, meaning nurse or wet-nurse, a word Portuguese traders and missionaries carried to India, Macau, and beyond. It was then applied by English speakers to the native nursemaids and servants they encountered in Chinese and South Asian households. The ultimate origin of the Portuguese word is debated, though it is often linked to medieval Latin terms for mother or nurse. Its closest relatives are the Romance forms of ama itself, still used in Spanish and Portuguese for a housekeeper or nanny.
How amah is actually used
The word carries strong associations with colonial-era and mid-twentieth-century household life in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and China, where amahs were trusted, often lifelong members of the families they served. In modern usage it can sound dated or period-specific, so it appears mostly in historical fiction, memoir, and writing about that era rather than everyday speech.
Easily confused with amah
An ayah is specifically a native nursemaid or maidservant in India, whereas an amah is the equivalent figure in China and parts of Southeast Asia.
Ama refers to Japanese female free-divers who harvest shellfish, while an amah is a domestic servant or nursemaid.