Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 叔叔 | shúshu | informal |
| 伯父 | bófù | formal |
| 伯伯 | bóbo | informal |
| 叔父 | shúfù | formal |
| 姑父 | gūfù | |
| 姑丈 | gūzhàng | |
| 舅父 | jiùfù | formal |
| 舅舅 | jiùjiu | informal |
| 姨父 | yífù | |
| 姨丈 | yízhàng | |
| 姨夫 | yífū |
Chinese uses specific terms for uncles based on their relationship to your parents. For a father's younger brother, use 叔叔. For a father's older brother, use 伯伯 or 伯父. For a mother's brother, use 舅舅 or 舅父. To refer to the husband of your paternal aunt, use 姑父 or 姑丈. To refer to the husband of your maternal aunt, use 姨父, 姨丈 or 姨夫. Beyond family, 叔叔 is used as a polite way to address any man who is roughly the same generation as one's parents, even if they are not related.
Which one should you use?
The forms are categorized by the specific relative they describe: 叔叔 and 伯伯 refer to paternal uncles (father's brothers), while 舅舅 specifically refers to a maternal uncle (mother's brother). For husbands of aunts, 姑父 and 姑丈 are used for the father's sister's husband, whereas 姨父, 姨丈 and 姨夫 are used for the mother's sister's husband.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Reduplicated forms like 伯伯, 叔叔 and 舅舅 are informal. In contrast, forms ending with the suffix 父 (fù), such as 伯父, 叔父 and 舅父, are formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix 父 (fù) in terms like 伯父 or 舅父 makes the term more formal and respectful than the reduplicated versions like 伯伯 or 舅舅.
How do you pronounce it?
shúshu
Did you know?
- Chinese uses different words for 'uncle' to distinguish between the 'inside' and 'outside' of the family. Paternal uncles belong to the same clan, while maternal uncles 舅舅 are considered part of the 'outside' family.
- If you are talking to a man who is significantly older than your father, using 叔叔 might actually be considered an insult because it implies he is too young.
- In some southern Chinese dialects, the titles for uncles can vary significantly from the standard Mandarin 叔叔 or 伯伯, sometimes using words that emphasize the exact number of the uncle's position in the birth order.
Examples in context
- 我叔叔開旅館。My uncle runs a hotel.This sentence shows how to use 叔叔 to talk about someone's occupation.Tatoeba #1270581 by tsayng, translation #65072 by CK
- 我的舅舅在彈吉他。My uncle is playing the guitar.This sentence demonstrates the use of 舅舅 for a maternal uncle.Tatoeba #2635811 by cienias, translation #7808087 by sharris123
- 汤姆是玛丽的叔叔。Tom is Mary's uncle.This sentence shows how to use 叔叔 to identify a relationship.Tatoeba #8939102 by crescat, translation #1028532 by CK
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
晓雯 and 浩然 are walking in a park when they see a neighbor.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，你看，那是我们的邻居王叔叔。Hàorán, nǐ kàn, nà shì wǒmen de línjū Wáng shūshu.Haoran, look, that is our neighbor Uncle Wang.
- 浩然 Haoran对，王叔叔看起来很精神。Duì, Wáng shūshu kàn qǐlái hěn jīngshén.Yes, Uncle Wang looks very energetic.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们应该去跟他打个招呼吗？Wǒmen yīnggāi qù gēn tā dǎ ge zhāohu ma?Should we go and say hello to him?
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，我们过去吧。Hǎo a, wǒmen guòqù ba.Sure, let's go over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “uncle” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
