甥 meaning and stroke order
Niece, nephew; sister's child
How to write 甥, 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 甥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) sister's son; nephew
How 甥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Boy.
男 gives the meaning and 生 hints at the sound.
Radical: 生 (life), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 甥
甥 combines 生 (shēng, to give birth), which gives the sound, with 男 (nán, male), which hints at the meaning. Think of it as the boy born to your sister: 生 + 男 = a nephew.
甥 is a bound form and almost never appears alone. You will see it in 外甥 (wàishēng) for a sister's son and 外甥女 (wàishengnǚ) for a sister's daughter. Example: 我外甥今年上小学了。(Wǒ wàishēng jīnnián shàng xiǎoxué le.) My nephew started primary school this year.
Common mistake: Learners often use 外甥 for any nephew, but a brother's son is 侄子 (zhízi), not 外甥. Also note that the 甥 in 外甥女 is usually read in the neutral tone, wàishengnǚ.
Common words with 甥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
甥 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 甥
How many strokes are in 甥?
甥 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 甥 mean?
甥 (shēng) means niece, nephew; sister's child. A common word with it is 外甥 (wàishēng), meaning "sister's son; wife's sibling's son".
How do you pronounce 甥?
甥 is pronounced shēng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 甥?
The radical of 甥 is 生, which carries the idea of "life". Dictionaries list 甥 under this radical.
Why does 外甥 include 外 (wài, outside)?
In traditional Chinese kinship, a sister's children belong to her husband's family line, so they count as relatives on the outside. A brother's children share your family name and are called 侄子 (zhízi) and 侄女 (zhínǚ).
How does a nephew address the person who calls him 外甥?
If you are his mother's brother, he calls you 舅舅 (jiùjiu). If you are his mother's sister, he calls you 姨 (yí) or 阿姨 (āyí).