There are a few ways to tell if a DNA match is maternal or paternal. One way is to look at the amount of shared DNA. Generally, if two people share more than 50% of their DNA, they are most likely related on the maternal side. If they share less than 50% of their DNA, they are most likely related on the paternal side. Another way to tell if a DNA match is maternal or paternal is to look at the chromosome map. The chromosome map will show which chromosomes have been passed down from each parent. If there is a large chunk of DNA that has been passed down from one parent, it is most likely that the match is related on that side.