Chinese word

舅舅

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiù jiù

Meaning

  • nounmaternal uncle

Example

舅舅明天来看我。jiù jiù míng tiān lái kàn wǒ

My maternal uncle is coming to see me tomorrow.

Illustration for 舅舅 (maternal uncle)

More examples

每年春节我们都会回去看舅舅。měi nián chūn jié wǒ men dū huì huí qù kàn jiù jiù

Every Spring Festival, we go back to visit our maternal uncle.

Core concept

A familiar family title for a mother's brother, treating him as a distinct part of the maternal side of the family.

Common phrases

  • 看望舅舅kàn wàng jiù jiù

    visit one's maternal uncle

  • 和舅舅聊天hé jiù jiù liáo tiān

    chat with one's maternal uncle

  • 给舅舅打电话gěi jiù jiù dǎ diàn huà

    call one's maternal uncle

Similar words

舅jiù: A brief form of address for a mother's brother.
叔叔shū shū: The family title for a younger brother of one's father.
伯伯bó bo: The family title for an older brother of one's father.
阿姨ā yí: The family title for a sister of one's mother.

Definition in Chinese

口语中用于称呼母亲的兄弟的称谓，常见于家庭内部的亲昵称呼。kóu yǔ zhōng yòng yú chēng hū mǔ qīn de xiōng dì de chēng wèi cháng jiàn yú jiā tíng nèi bù de qīn nì chēng hū

Word origin

舅舅 (jiùjiù, "maternal uncle") repeats 舅 (jiù, "maternal uncle") to form the familiar spoken kinship term used in everyday address.

Usage tips

  • English uses uncle for both sides of the family, so this word highlights that Chinese kinship vocabulary often tracks the mother's and father's sides separately.

Other meanings

  • older maternal unclenoun
  • younger maternal unclenoun

Related words

  • 舅妈jiù māmaternal uncle's wifenoun
  • 外舅wài jiùmaternal unclenoun

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