舅舅

jiùjiu

noun HSK 7 #6,548

Measure Word

一个舅舅 gè

Meanings

1 maternal uncle (mother's brother)
2 uncle (on mother's side)

Characters

(reduplication for familiar form)

Reduplicated form of 舅 — mother's brother.

Examples

我舅舅住在上海。

Wǒ jiùjiu zhù zài Shànghǎi.

My uncle lives in Shanghai.

舅舅给我买了一个生日礼物。

Jiùjiu gěi wǒ mǎi le yī ge shēngrì lǐwù.

My uncle bought me a birthday present.

小时候我经常去舅舅家玩。

Xiǎoshíhou wǒ jīngcháng qù jiùjiu jiā wán.

When I was little, I often went to my uncle's house to play.

Tips

usage

Chinese distinguishes maternal and paternal uncles precisely: 舅舅 = mother's brother, 叔叔 = father's younger brother, 伯伯 = father's older brother, 姑父 = father's sister's husband, 姨父 = mother's sister's husband.

grammar

The second 舅 is pronounced with a neutral tone (jiùjiu, not jiùjiù). This reduplication pattern is common for family terms: 爸爸, 妈妈, 哥哥, 姐姐.

Stroke Order

舅 jiù