嫂

嫂 U+5AC2, 嫂 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5AC2 ← 嫁 [U+5AC1] CJK Unified Ideographs 嫃 → [U+5AC3]

Translingual

Han character

嫂 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+9, 12 strokes, cangjie input 女竹難水 (VHXE), four-corner 4744₇, composition ⿰女叟)

Derived characters

• 䕅

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 268, character 34
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6603
• Dae Jaweon: page 536, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1066, character 18
• Unihan data for U+5AC2

Chinese

trad.		嫂
simp. #		嫂

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 嫂
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (叟) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
㮴	*suːw
艘	*suːw, *sɯːw
嫂	*suːwʔ
瞍	*sɯːw, *suːʔ
謏	*slɯːwʔ, *suːʔ, *suːs, *srɯwɢ
叜	*sluːʔ
叟	*suːʔ
傁	*suːʔ
廋	*suːʔ, *sru
醙	*suʔ, *sru
遚	*sʰrus
餿	*sru
搜	*sru
颼	*sru
溲	*sru, *sruʔ
鎪	*sru
獀	*sru
鄋	*sru
螋	*sru, *sro
騪	*sru
瘦	*srus

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *suːwʔ): semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 叟 (OC *suːʔ)

Etymology 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sǎo (sao³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sou²
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): só

  (Meixian, Guangdong): sau³

• Eastern Min (BUC): sō̤
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): so³ / sor³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): só / só͘

  (Teochew, Peng'im): so² / sao²

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵sau

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sǎo
    • Wade–Giles: sao³
    • Yale: sǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sao
    • Palladius: сао (sao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sou²
    • Yale: sóu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sou²
    • Guangdong Romanization: sou²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: só
    • Hakka Romanization System: so^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: so³
    • Sinological IPA: /so³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: sau³
    • Sinological IPA: /sau³¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sō̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /so³³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: so³
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: seô
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬo⁴⁵³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: so³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬo³³²/
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: sor³
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: sô̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬɒ⁴⁵³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: sor³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬɒ³³²/

Note:

• so3 - vernacular;
• sor3 - literary.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: só
    • Tâi-lô: só
    • Phofsit Daibuun: soir
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /sɤ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /so⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /so⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: só͘
    • Tâi-lô: sóo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sor
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sɔ⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: so² / sao²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: só / sáu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /so⁵²/, /sau⁵²/
Note:
• so2 - vernacular;
• sao2 - literary.
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵sau
    • MiniDict: sau^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²sau
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sɔ³⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: sawX

Rime
Character	嫂
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	蘇老切
Baxter	sawX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sɑuX/
Pan Wuyun	/sɑuX/
Shao Rongfen	/sɑuX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sawX/
Li Rong	/sɑuX/
Wang Li	/sɑuX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/sɑuX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sǎo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sou2

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*suːwʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	嫂
Reading #	1/1
No.	12065
Phonetic component	叟
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	㛮
Old Chinese	/*suːwʔ/

Definitions

嫂

1. sister-in-law (older brother's wife)
2. friend's wife

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 嫂子 (“sister-in-law (elder brother's wife)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		嫂子
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	嫂子
	Taiwan	嫂子
	Harbin	嫂子
	Malaysia	嫂子
	Singapore	嫂子
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	嫂子
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	嫂
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	嫂子
	Wanrong	嫂子
	Xi'an	嫂子
	Xining	嫂子
	Xuzhou	嫂子
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	嫂嫂
	Ürümqi	嫂子
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	嫂子, 嫂嫂
	Wuhan	嫂子
	Guiyang	嫂嫂
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	嫂子
	Yangzhou	嫂子
	Hefei	嫂子
Cantonese	Guangzhou	阿嫂
	Hong Kong	阿嫂
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	阿嫂
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	嫂
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	阿嫂
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	阿嫂
	Macau	大嫂
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	阿嫂
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	嫂
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	阿嫂
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	阿嫂
	Foshan	阿嫂
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	阿嫂
	Foshan (Shunde)	大嫂
	Foshan (Sanshui)	阿嫂
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	阿嫂
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	大嫂
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	大嫂
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	阿嫂
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	阿嫂
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	阿嫂
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	阿嫂
	Taishan	阿嫂
	Kaiping (Chikan)	阿嫂
	Enping (Niujiang)	阿嫂
	Heshan (Yayao)	嫂
	Dongguan	阿嫂
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	阿嫂
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	阿嫂
	Singapore (Guangfu)	阿嫂
Gan	Nanchang	嫂嫂, 嫂子, 嫂
	Lichuan	兄嫂
	Pingxiang	嫂老子 non-face-to-face, 嫂嫂 face-to-face
Hakka	Meixian	阿嫂
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	阿嫂
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	阿嫂
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	阿嫂
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	大嫂
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	阿嫂
	Yudu	嫂嫂
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	阿嫂
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	阿嫂
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	阿嫂
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	阿嫂
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	阿嫂
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	阿嫂
	Hong Kong	阿嫂
	Senai (Huiyang)	阿嫂
Huizhou	Jixi	嫂 non-face-to-face, 嫂嫂 face-to-face
Jin	Taiyuan	嫂嫂, 嫂子
	Xinzhou	嫂嫂, 嫂嫂啊, 嫂啊
Northern Min	Jian'ou	嫂仔, 嫂嫂 face-to-face
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	嫂, 兄嫂, 依嫂
	Singapore (Fuqing)	阿嫂
Southern Min	Xiamen	阿嫂, 兄嫂
	Quanzhou	阿嫂, 兄嫂
	Jinjiang	阿嫂
	Zhangzhou	阿嫂, 兄嫂
	Singapore (Hokkien)	阿嫂
	Manila (Hokkien)	阿嫂
	Chaozhou	阿嫂
	Jieyang	阿嫂, 嫂
	Bangkok (Teochew)	阿嫂
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	阿嫂
	Singapore (Teochew)	阿嫂
	Leizhou	嫂
	Haikou	兄嫂 non-face-to-face, 阿嫂 face-to-face
	Singapore (Hainanese)	阿嫂
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	家嫂
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	嫂
Wu	Shanghai	嫂嫂, 阿嫂
	Shanghai (Chongming)	阿嫂 non-face-to-face, 嫂嫂
	Suzhou	阿嫂 non-face-to-face, 嫂嫂 face-to-face
	Danyang	嫂嫂
	Hangzhou	嫂嫂, 阿嫂
	Ningbo	阿嫂
	Wenzhou	兄嫂 non-face-to-face, 阿嫂 face-to-face
	Jinhua	嫂 non-face-to-face, 嫂兒嫂兒 face-to-face
Xiang	Changsha	嫂子
	Loudi	嫂嫂
	Shuangfeng	嫂嫂
	Hengyang	嫂子

Compounds

• 丘嫂
• 兄嫂 (xiōngsǎo)
• 內嫂 / 内嫂
• 大嫂 (dàsǎo)
• 大嫂子
• 姑嫂 (gūsǎo)
• 姻嫂 (yīnsǎo)
• 嫂夫人
• 嫂嫂 (sǎosao)
• 嫂子 (sǎozi)
• 家嫂
• 舅嫂 (jiùsǎo)

Descendants

• → Thai: ซ้อ (sɔ́ɔ)
• → Tagalog: inso

Etymology 2

Definitions

嫂

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) alternative form of soc

References

• “嫂”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Japanese

Kanji

嫂

(Hyōgai kanji)

1. elder brother's wife

Readings

• Go-on: そう (sō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kan-on: そう (sō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kun: あによめ (aniyome)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 嫂 (MC sawX). Recorded as Middle Korean 수〯 (swǔ) (Yale: swu) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

嫂

嫂 (eumhun 형수 수 (hyeongsu su))

1. hanja form^? of 수 (“sister-in-law; elder brother's wife”)

Compounds

• 제수 (弟嫂, jesu)
• 형수 (兄嫂, hyeongsu)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

嫂: Hán Nôm readings: tẩu, dâu

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