How do you say "uncle" in Chinese?

叔叔

shū shū

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "uncle" is 叔叔 (shū shū).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

You'll want to say "shū shū" so that "shū" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1), then "shū" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1).

Writing and usage

叔叔 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

我叔叔教我钓鱼。

wǒ shū shū jiào wǒ diào yú 。

My uncle taught me how to fish.

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How to remember 叔叔

Link the sound of "shū shū" to something in English that it faintly echoes, then picture that image next to "叔叔" (shū shū).

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 叔叔

How do you pronounce 叔叔?

You'll want to say "shū shū" so that "shū" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1), then "shū" is flat and level, held steady (tone 1).

Is 叔叔 formal or casual?

叔叔 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 叔叔 used in Chinese?

叔叔 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 我叔叔教我钓鱼。 (My uncle taught me how to fish.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Uncle" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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