Meaning of 祖父
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- father's father
- paternal grandfather
How to use 祖父
祖父 is a formal or written word. In everyday speech people usually say 爷爷 (yéye). Example: 我的祖父是老师。(Wǒ de zǔfù shì lǎoshī.) My grandfather was a teacher.
祖 (zǔ) means ancestor, as in 祖国 (zǔguó) motherland, and 父 (fù) means father. An ancestor father is your father's father, your paternal grandfather.
Common mistake: Learners often use 祖父 for any grandfather. It only means the father's father. The mother's father is 外祖父 (wàizǔfù), or 姥爷 (lǎoye) / 外公 (wàigōng) in speech. Also keep the tones as third then fourth: zǔfù, not zūfù.
祖父 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.
祖 zǔ · ancestor · 9 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
父 fù · father · 4 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 祖父.
| 父亲 | fùqīn | father; also pr. [fu4 qin5] |
| 父母 | fùmǔ | father and mother; parents |
| 师父 | shīfu | used for 師傅|师傅 (in Taiwan); master |
| 祖母 | zǔmǔ | father's mother; paternal grandmother |
| 祖国 | zǔguó | motherland |
| 父子 | fùzǐ | father and son |
| 父女 | fùnǚ | father and daughter |
| 祖先 | zǔxiān | ancestors; forebears; (biology) ancestral species; ancient species from which present-day |
| 伯父 | bófù | father's elder brother; term of respect for older man |
| 继父 | jìfù | stepfather |
| 岳父 | yuèfù | wife's father, father-in-law |
| 祖宗 | zǔzong | ancestor; forebear |
Questions about 祖父
What does 祖父 mean?
祖父 (zǔfù) means "father's father; paternal grandfather" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 祖父?
祖父 is made of 2 characters: 祖 (9 strokes), 父 (4 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 祖父 an HSK word?
Yes. 祖父 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 祖父 and 爷爷?
They refer to the same person. 祖父 is formal and appears in writing, forms, and introductions. 爷爷 is what you call your grandfather directly and use in casual talk.
How do I say grandparents in Chinese?
For paternal grandparents you can say 祖父母 (zǔfùmǔ), combining 祖父 and 祖母 (zǔmǔ). In speech people say 爷爷奶奶 (yéye nǎinai).