Meaning of 丈夫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- husband
How to use 丈夫
丈夫 is the standard, neutral word for husband in both speech and writing. You use it to talk about your own husband or someone else's. 她丈夫是医生。(Tā zhàngfu shì yīshēng.) Her husband is a doctor.
丈 (zhàng) is an old unit of length, and 夫 (fū) shows a grown man, like 大 (big person) with an extra line across the top. Picture a tall grown man standing about one 丈 high: that man is the husband.
Common mistake: Learners often say zhàngfū with a full first tone, but in everyday speech 夫 is light and toneless here: zhàngfu. Also watch the similar-looking 大夫 (dàifu), which means doctor in speech, not husband.
丈夫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
丈 zhàng · gentleman · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
夫 fū · man · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 丈夫.
| 功夫 | gōngfu | skill; art |
| 大夫 | dàifu | senior official (in imperial China) |
| 工夫 | gōngfu | (old) laborer |
| 夫人 | fūrén | lady; madam |
| 夫妇 | fūfù | a (married) couple; husband and wife |
| 夫妻 | fūqī | husband and wife; married couple |
| 高尔夫球 | gāo'ěrfūqiú | golf; golf ball |
| 下功夫 | xià gōngfu | variant of 下工夫[xia4 gong1 fu5] |
| 懦夫 | nuòfū | coward |
| 未婚夫 | wèihūnfū | fiancé |
| 前夫 | qiánfū | former husband |
| 屠夫 | túfū | butcher; fig. murderous dictator |
Questions about 丈夫
What does 丈夫 mean?
丈夫 (zhàngfu) means "husband" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 丈夫?
丈夫 is made of 2 characters: 丈 (3 strokes), 夫 (4 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 丈夫 an HSK word?
Yes. 丈夫 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 丈夫 and 老公?
丈夫 is neutral and works in any setting, including forms and formal writing. 老公 (lǎogōng) is casual and affectionate, common when talking with friends or speaking to your husband directly.
Does 丈夫 ever mean something other than husband?
Read as zhàngfū with a full tone, it can mean a real man, as in the set phrase 大丈夫 (dà zhàngfū), a true man of character. In normal modern use, 丈夫 (zhàngfu) simply means husband.