also: まま
noun
Children's word for food or a meal, similar to 'yum-yum' or 'num-num' in English. Used by or to small children.
さあ、まんまの時間だよ。
Come on, it's time for num-nums.
まんま、おいしいね。
Yum-yum, it's tasty, isn't it?
noun
Only with reading まま
Dated term for cooked rice, restricted to the reading まま. Not commonly used in modern Japanese; ごはん is the usual word.
昔は、ままを炊くのに釜を使っていた。
In the old days, they used a pot to cook rice.
Alternate kana spelling, also used in children's language. Sense 2 (cooked rice) is restricted to this reading.
A children's word, likely derived from baby-talk reduplication of ま (ma), possibly related to めし (meshi, 'meal') or まんまん (an old children's word for food). The exact origin is uncertain.