Save Gender Feminine Usage Japanese Scripts 素麻世, etc.(Japanese Kanji) すま代(Kanji/Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. SUU-MAH-YO [key] Meaning & History From Japanese 素 (su) meaning "white silk", 麻 (ma) meaning "hemp, flax, linen" combined with 世 (yo) meaning "world". Other kanji combinations are possible.