舅 meaning and stroke order
Mother's brother, uncle
How to write 舅, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
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- 4
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- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
Meaning of 舅
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- maternal uncle
How 舅 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Man.
男 gives the meaning and 臼 hints at the sound.
Radical: 臼 (mortar), shared by 13 characters on this site.
How to remember 舅
The top part 臼 (jiù) gives the sound, and the bottom part 男 (nán, man) gives the meaning. Picture a man 男 from your mother's side standing under the 臼 sign that tells you to say jiù.
In everyday speech people call their mother's brother 舅舅 (jiùjiu), while 舅父 (jiùfù) is more formal and written. His wife is 舅妈 (jiùmā). Example: 我舅舅住在上海。(Wǒ jiùjiu zhù zài Shànghǎi.) My uncle on my mother's side lives in Shanghai.
Common mistake: Learners often use 舅舅 for any uncle, but a father's brother is 叔叔 (shūshu) if younger or 伯伯 (bóbo) if older than the father. Also do not confuse the top part 臼 with 白 (bái). 臼 is open in the middle, with separate strokes on the left and right.
Common words with 舅
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
舅 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 舅
How many strokes are in 舅?
舅 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 舅 mean?
舅 (jiù) means mother's brother, uncle. A common word with it is 舅舅 (jiùjiu), meaning "mother's brother; maternal uncle (informal)".
How do you pronounce 舅?
舅 is pronounced jiù, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 舅?
The radical of 舅 is 臼, which carries the idea of "mortar". Dictionaries list 舅 under this radical.
Is 舅 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 舅 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'uncle' in Chinese for an uncle by marriage?
It depends on the side of the family. Your mother's sister's husband is 姨父 (yífu), and your father's sister's husband is 姑父 (gūfu). 舅 is only for your mother's brother.
Is the second 舅 in 舅舅 pronounced with a tone?
In 舅舅 the second syllable is usually read in the neutral tone, so it sounds like jiùjiu. The first syllable keeps the falling fourth tone.