嫂 meaning and stroke order
Sister-in-law, elder brother's wife
How to write 嫂, stroke by stroke
12 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 嫂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) older brother's wife; sister-in-law
How 嫂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 叟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 嫂
嫂 is built from 女 (woman) on the left, which gives the meaning, and 叟 (sǒu) on the right, which hints at the sound. Picture the woman who married into the family through your older brother.
嫂 is a bound form, so it usually appears in words like 嫂子 (sǎozi) or 大嫂 (dàsǎo) rather than standing alone. People also use 嫂子 as a friendly way to address a friend's wife. Example: 我嫂子是老师。(Wǒ sǎozi shì lǎoshī.) My older brother's wife is a teacher.
Common mistake: Learners often read 嫂 as sǒu because of the phonetic part 叟, but the correct sound is sǎo. Also, 嫂 only means an older brother's wife. A younger brother's wife is 弟妹 (dìmèi) or 弟媳 (dìxí).
Common words with 嫂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嫂子 | sǎozi | (coll.) older brother's wife; sister-in-law | HSK 7-9 |
| 大嫂 | dàsǎo | older brother's wife; sister-in-law |
Questions about 嫂
How many strokes are in 嫂?
嫂 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嫂 mean?
嫂 (sǎo) means sister-in-law, elder brother's wife. A common word with it is 嫂子 (sǎozi), meaning "(coll.) older brother's wife; sister-in-law".
How do you pronounce 嫂?
嫂 is pronounced sǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 嫂?
The radical of 嫂 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 嫂 under this radical.
Is 嫂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嫂 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 嫂子 and 大嫂?
Both mean older brother's wife. 嫂子 is the everyday colloquial word. 大嫂 can specify the wife of the eldest brother, and it is also a respectful way to address a married woman around your age or a bit older.
How do you say sister-in-law on the husband's or wife's side?
Chinese uses different words for each relationship. Your wife's sister is 姨子 (yízi), and your husband's sister is 姑子 (gūzi). 嫂 is used only for an older brother's wife.