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道Nihongo Path
叔

叔·uncle (younger), aunt (younger)

On-yomi
シュク
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

8 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
叔父おじuncle (younger than one's parent)
叔母おばaunt (younger than one's parent)
叔父さんおじさんuncle (polite)
叔母さんおばさんaunt (polite)

Example sentences

  1. 叔父は父の弟です。

    おじはちちのおとうとです。

    My uncle is my father's younger brother.

  2. 夏休みに叔母の家に泊まった。

    なつやすみにおばのいえにとまった。

    I stayed at my aunt's house over the summer holiday.

  3. 叔母さんが誕生日にケーキを焼いてくれた。

    おばさんがたんじょうびにケーキをやいてくれた。

    My aunt baked me a cake for my birthday.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 叔父 as しゅくふ — in family use it is おじ
  • Writing 叔父 for an uncle older than your parent — use 伯父

Memory aid

Picture it

Learn 叔 and 伯 as a pair: 伯 is the elder sibling of your parent, 叔 the younger one.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 叔 mean?