ujo
/ujɔ/
The Slovak word for uncle is ujo.
ujo refers to the brother or brother-in-law of someone's parent.
Meaning: brother (or brother-in-law) of someone’s parent (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ujo is the standard term, you may encounter other forms depending on the level of affection or formality. Strýčko is an informal and affectionate term, and ujko is a diminutive form used to express affection or to address a child's uncle affectionately.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on its role in a sentence. When using the dative case to mean 'to uncle' (for example, 'give to uncle'), use the ending ujovi. To indicate possession in the genitive case, such as 'uncle's watch', use the ending ujov. The plural form for multiple uncles is ujovia.
How do you pronounce it?
/ujɔ/
Did you know?
- The word ujo shares an ancient linguistic ancestor with the Latin word avus, which means 'grandfather'.
- Slovak differentiates between uncles by the side of the family, a trait shared with other Slavic languages like Russian and Ukrainian where vuj relates to the mother.
- The word ujo belongs to a family of similar-sounding terms across many Slavic languages, such as the Bulgarian vújčo, reflecting a shared regional history.
Examples in context
- Ujo mi dal hodinky.My uncle gave me the watch.This sentence shows the use of ujo as a subject.Tatoeba #9000209 by Dominika7, translation #65073 by CK
- Včera môj ujo kúpil psa.Yesterday my uncle bought a dog.Tatoeba #8977601 by Dominika7, translation #602524 by CK
- Môj ujo učí na univerzite angličtinu.My uncle teaches English at the university.Tatoeba #9805071 by Dominika7, translation #488202 by saasmath
- Dobré ráno, strýko Ján!Good morning, uncle John!
- Ďakujem za skvelý darček, strýčko Tomáš!Thank you for the great gift, Uncle Thomas!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kateřina and Michal are talking about a family gathering.
- KateřinaKde je dnes tvoj ujo?Where is your uncle today?
- MichalMôj ujo je ešte v práci.My uncle is still at work.
- KateřinaKedy príde domov?When is he coming home?
- MichalPríde o hodine.He will arrive in an hour.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ujo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ujo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
