嫂

A phono-semantic compound:

女 (녀) — semantic component, indicating female kinship

叟 (수) — phonetic component, supplying the sound (수 / sǎo)

The character designates a woman who has entered the family through marriage to the elder brother, reflecting traditional kinship hierarchy.

嫂 is used almost exclusively in kinship contexts. Unlike some kinship terms, 嫂 does not extend metaphorically; its meaning remains concrete and familial.

형수 (嫂) — elder brother’s wife

형수님 — polite form (Korean)

형수부 (嫂夫) — husband of one’s sister-in-law (classical)

Semantic notes:

嫂 strictly denotes the elder brother’s wife.

It should be distinguished from:

弟媳 (제수) — younger brother’s wife

兄嫂 — elder brother and his wife (as a pair)

In Korean, the native word 형수 is dominant in speech, while 嫂 appears in Sino-Korean compounds and formal writing.

Related characters (affinal kinship):

兄 — elder brother

弟 — younger brother

婦 — wife

媳 — daughter-in-law

姑 — paternal aunt / sister-in-law (classical contexts)

Among these, 嫂 uniquely marks marriage-based kinship tied to elder-brother hierarchy.

Modern Mandarin usage typically appears with a suffix:

嫂子 — sister-in-law (elder brother’s wife)