婶 meaning and stroke order
Father's younger brother's wife
How to write 婶, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 婶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wife of father's younger brother
How 婶 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 审 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 婶
婶 is pictophonetic: 女 (woman) on the left gives the meaning, and 审 (shěn) on the right gives the sound. Picture the woman in the family who carefully examines (审) everything you do at holiday dinners: your aunt.
婶 refers specifically to the wife of your father's younger brother, and kids usually call her 婶婶 (shěnshen). It also appears in 大婶 (dàshěn), a casual way to address a middle-aged woman you don't know. Example: 我婶婶做的饺子很好吃。(Wǒ shěnshen zuò de jiǎozi hěn hǎochī.) My aunt's dumplings are delicious.
Common mistake: Learners often use 婶婶 for any aunt, but the wife of your father's older brother is 伯母 (bómǔ), and your mother's brother's wife is 舅妈 (jiùmā). Also don't confuse the right side 审 with 宙 (zhòu); 审 has 申 under the roof, not 由.
Common words with 婶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 婶婶 | shěnshen | wife of father's younger brother; aunt |
婶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 婶
How many strokes are in 婶?
婶 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 婶 mean?
婶 (shěn) means father's younger brother's wife. A common word with it is 婶婶 (shěnshen), meaning "wife of father's younger brother; aunt".
How do you pronounce 婶?
婶 is pronounced shěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 婶?
The radical of 婶 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 婶 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 婶?
The traditional form of 婶 is 嬸. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 婶 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the husband of 婶婶 called?
He is your father's younger brother, called 叔叔 (shūshu). Together they are often referred to as 叔叔婶婶.
Is 大婶 polite when talking to strangers?
大婶 (dàshěn) is friendly and common in northern China, especially in the countryside, but some women may find it makes them sound old. 阿姨 (āyí) is a safer, more neutral choice in cities.