Chinese word

姨夫

Pronunciation

Pinyinyí fū

Meaning

  • noununcle

Example

姨夫住在我们附近。yí fū zhù zài wǒ men fù jìn

My uncle lives near us.

Illustration for 姨夫 (uncle)

More examples

每个周末我都会去看望姨夫。měi gè zhōu mò wǒ dū huì qù kàn wàng yí fū

I visit my uncle every weekend.

Core concept

A maternal-side uncle defined by marriage rather than by being a mother's brother.

Common phrases

  • 我的姨夫wǒ de yí fū

    my uncle

  • 跟姨夫一起gēn yí fū yì qǐ

    with my uncle

  • 姨夫的名字yí fū de míng zì

    my uncle's name

Similar words

舅舅jiù jiù: One's mother's brother.
叔叔shū shū: One's father's younger brother.
伯父bó fù: One's father's older brother.
姑丈gū zhàng: The husband of one's father's sister.

Definition in Chinese

母亲的姐妹的丈夫。mǔ qīn de jiě mèi de zhàng fū

Word origin

姨 (yí, "mother's sister") identifies the family connection, and 夫 (fū, "husband") identifies the man's role in that connection.

Usage tips

  • The word helps separate two relationships that can share one broad family label in English: a mother's brother and the husband of her sister.

Word lists with this word