ままに (As Is)As is, While remaining, Left in a state

まま, coming from the kanji 儘(まま), which means 'as it is', is a noun in Japanese that is used for describing the 'unchanged state' of something. This expression may be translated as 'while remaining (A)', 'as (A) is', or 'left in the state of (A)'. It can be used after any word in its attributive form. However, when used with verbs, it has a tendency to be used with the た (past) form most frequently.

まま often expresses that something should be left alone, or undisturbed. This is generally seen with verbs in the ない form.

Caution

While まま may be followed by the case marking particle に, it is very often omitted. When it appears, however, it will place extra emphasis on the next verb in the sentence.

Fun Fact

まま may sometimes be pronounced as まんま. However, this variation is primarily only used in casual speech, or writing that is being made to sound like casual speech.