ah ▁( , ▁, ▁, ▁Med ieval ▁Latin : ▁am ma ; ▁or ▁ay ah , ▁, ▁Latin : ▁av ia , ▁Tag alog : ▁y aya ) ▁is ▁a ▁girl ▁or ▁woman ▁employed ▁by ▁a ▁family ▁to ▁clean , ▁look ▁after ▁children , ▁and ▁perform ▁other ▁domestic ▁tasks . ▁Ama h ▁is ▁the ▁usual ▁version ▁in ▁East ▁Asia , ▁while ▁ay ah ▁rel ates ▁more ▁to ▁South ▁Asia , ▁and ▁tends ▁to ▁specifically ▁mean ▁a ▁n urs ema id ▁looking ▁after ▁young ▁children , ▁rather ▁than ▁a ▁general ▁ma id . ▁ ▁Ro le ▁It ▁is ▁a ▁domestic ▁servant ▁role ▁which ▁comb ines ▁functions ▁of ▁ma id ▁and ▁n anny . ▁They ▁may ▁be ▁required ▁to ▁wear ▁a ▁uniform . ▁ ▁The ▁term , ▁res emb ling ▁the ▁pron unci ation ▁for ▁" m other " ▁( see ▁M ama ▁and ▁papa ), ▁is ▁considered ▁pol ite ▁and ▁respect ful ▁in ▁the ▁Chinese ▁language . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁The ▁word ▁am ah ▁may ▁have ▁origin ated ▁from ▁the ▁Portuguese ▁am a ▁meaning ▁" n ur se ". ▁Some ▁however ▁argued ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁the ▁English ▁form ▁of ▁the ▁Chinese ▁word ▁ah ▁ma h ▁( ah ▁is ▁a ▁common ▁Chinese ▁prefix , ▁and ▁ma h ▁means ▁" l ittle ▁mother "), ▁while ▁others ▁say ▁that ▁it ▁origin ated ▁as ▁na i ▁ma h ▁( w et ▁nur se ▁in ▁Chinese , ▁literally ▁" mil k ▁mother "). ▁This ▁word ▁is ▁common ▁in ▁East ▁Asia , ▁South ▁East ▁Asia ▁and ▁India ▁to ▁denote