Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (臼) should be compact and balanced, while the lower component (男) spreads out to support the entire character without tipping over.
1. Meaning
maternal uncle
mother's brotherhusband of mother's sister (regional)older male cousin on mother's side
NounNeutral#family#kinship#relations
Sample Usage
我的舅舅是一名医生。
wǒ de jiùjiu shì yī míng yīshēng.
My maternal uncle is a doctor.
我明天要去拜访大舅。
wǒ míngtiān yào qù bàifǎng dà jiù.
Tomorrow I am going to visit my eldest maternal uncle.
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕi̯u̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
舅
jiùjiu4
|
++
`(51)
=jiù
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
jiu
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "u" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: soft j sound as in 'jeep'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the hard palate, air releases softly without a puff.
Final Rhyme
iu
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -iou rhymes with 'yoo' in 'yonder' or '-ew' in 'few'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: iu is short for -iou, where the middle 'o' is a glide sound.
Tone
T4 (51)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, identical to shouting a sharp command like 'No!' or 'Stop!'.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the fourth tone falling pitch with the third tone dipping pitch, or mixing up 'jiù' with 'jiǔ' (wine).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive nod downward, like dropping a heavy object from chest height to the floor.
3. Writing
Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 13 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (臼) should be compact and balanced, while the lower component (男) spreads out to support the entire character without tipping over.
Semantic Clue (形旁):男 (Provides the semantic and phonetic context related to males in the family lineage)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):臼 (original sound: jiù)
The character features a mortar (臼) placed above a male (男), representing a male elder of the family who pound-by-pound holds the kinship ties together.
臼 Mortar / upper framework providing the sound and base shape
男 Male / indicating a male relative
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
7· Phonetic Root: 臼 (jiù)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combining the phonetic 'jiù' (臼, mortar) and '男' (male), the character was created to specifically denote a mother's brother, distinguishing him from paternal uncles.
Semantic Evolution: The meaning has remained remarkably stable over millennia, exclusively referring to a maternal uncle.
In traditional Chinese society, the maternal uncle (舅舅) held a position of great respect and authority in family councils, often acting as a mediator.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
cửu
The rising/dipping tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to historical tone shifts.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キュウ (kyuu) / Kun: おじ (oji)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
구
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Your **maternal uncle** (**jiù**) stands by a stone **mortar** (**臼**) with a **male** (**男**) friend, pounding rice together for a family feast.