叔叔 meaning in English
father's younger brother; paternal uncle; form of address used by children for a male one generation older
Meaning of 叔叔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- father's younger brother; paternal uncle
- form of address used by children for a male one generation older
How to use 叔叔
叔叔 means your father's younger brother, but children also use it to politely address any man around their parents' age, such as a neighbor or a parent's friend. Example: 叔叔好。(Shūshu hǎo.) Hello, uncle.
叔叔 (shūshu) doubles the character 叔 (shū), just like 爸爸 (bàba) and 妈妈 (māma) double theirs. Think of it as one more family word in the doubled group: the younger brother of your dad.
Common mistake: Learners often use 叔叔 for every uncle, but a mother's brother is 舅舅 (jiùjiu) and a father's older brother is 伯伯 (bóbo). Also, the second 叔 is said in the neutral tone, so say shūshu, not shūshū.
叔叔 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.
叔 shū · uncle · 8 strokes
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叔 shū · uncle · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 叔叔.
| 大叔 | dàshū | eldest of father's younger brothers; uncle (term used to address a man about the age of on |
| 叔父 | shūfù | father's younger brother; uncle |
| 叔公 | shūgōng | great uncle; grandfather's younger brother |
Questions about 叔叔
What does 叔叔 mean?
叔叔 (shūshu) means "father's younger brother; paternal uncle; form of address used by children for a male one generation older" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 叔叔?
叔叔 is made of 2 characters: 叔 (8 strokes), 叔 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 叔叔 an HSK word?
Yes. 叔叔 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can adults call a stranger 叔叔?
Yes, adults sometimes use 叔叔 for an older man, especially when speaking from a child's point of view, for example telling a child 谢谢叔叔 (xièxie shūshu). Between adults, 大叔 (dàshū) is a common casual way to address a middle-aged man.
What is the difference between 叔叔 and 叔父?
Both can mean father's younger brother. 叔叔 is the everyday spoken word and also a polite form of address, while 叔父 (shūfù) sounds more formal or written and is not used to address someone directly.