Meaning of 夫人
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lady
- madam
- Mrs.
Measure word: 位
How to use 夫人
夫人 is a formal, polite word for someone else's wife, often used for wives of officials, diplomats, or respected people. It can also follow a surname like Mrs. Example: 王夫人今天也来了。(Wáng fūrén jīntiān yě lái le.) Mrs. Wang came today too.
夫 (fū) means husband, and 人 (rén) means person. A 夫人 is the person who belongs with a man of standing, so think of it as the respectful word for his wife, the lady of the house.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 夫人 for their own wife in casual talk, which sounds stiff or self-important. Say 我太太 (wǒ tàitai) or 我老婆 (wǒ lǎopo) instead. Also do not confuse 夫人 with 夫妇 (fūfù), which means husband and wife as a couple.
夫人 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.
夫 fū · man · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
人 rén · person · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 夫人.
| 女人 | nǚrén | woman |
| 男人 | nánrén | a man; a male |
| 别人 | biérén | other people; others; other person |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 病人 | bìngrén | sick person; patient |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 大人 | dàren | adult; grownup |
| 客人 | kèrén | visitor; guest; customer |
| 好人 | hǎorén | good person; healthy person |
Questions about 夫人
What does 夫人 mean?
夫人 (fūrén) means "lady; madam" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 夫人?
夫人 is made of 2 characters: 夫 (4 strokes), 人 (2 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 夫人 an HSK word?
Yes. 夫人 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 夫人 pronounced fūrén or fūren?
Both are heard. The dictionary lists fūren with a neutral tone on the second syllable, which is common in everyday speech. Fūrén with a full second tone is also widely accepted.
What is the difference between 夫人 and 太太?
太太 (tàitai) is the everyday word for Mrs. or wife and can be used for your own wife. 夫人 is more formal and honorific, used for other people's wives, especially in official or polite settings, such as 总统夫人 (zǒngtǒng fūrén), the president's wife.