kau3舅
Jyutpingkau3
Yalekau
Definition
Mother's brother; maternal uncle.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the mother's brothers. While the single character 舅 is the root, it is almost never used alone in speech and is usually expanded to 舅父 to sound natural and respectful. Using just 舅 in conversation can sound overly formal or like a character from a period drama.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 叔 or 伯, which refer to the father's younger and older brothers respectively. Using the wrong term for an uncle is considered a significant social error in traditional families.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
