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まあまあ maamaa
So-so. Also: now, now, calm down.
What does maamaa mean?
Two words in one sound. As a verdict it means decent but not thrilling; thrown in front of an argument, it's the hand-on-the-shoulder "easy now, let's all sit down."
Example
「テストどうだった？」「まあまあかな」
"How was the test?" "Eh, so-so."
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind maamaa
As a rating, maamaa sits in the polite middle: not bad, not worth raving about. Japanese speakers often use it about themselves as modesty, so someone who says their exam was maamaa may well have aced it. Said about another person's cooking, though, it lands with a small thud — best kept for your own results.
The second life is as a peacemaker. Repeated softly with a raised palm, maamaa maamaa is what you say to someone getting worked up, the verbal equivalent of pouring them another drink and steering the conversation elsewhere.
Get maamaa in your pocket
まあまあ is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
