父母
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)
父母 (fùmǔ) · parents
父母 (fùmǔ) means “parents”. It is written with 2 characters: 父 (father) + 母 (mother). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 父母 is built
The characters
父 fù · father
What 父 is made of
- 八bā — eight
- 乂yì — crossed strokes
- 丿 — falling stroke
Origin hint: A hand 乂 holding an axe 八 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
母 mǔ · mother
What 母 is made of
母 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 5 strokes.
Origin hint: A mother's breasts (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
我父母都是老师。Wǒ fùmǔ dōu shì lǎoshī.My parents are both teachers.
你常给父母打电话吗？Nǐ cháng gěi fùmǔ dǎ diànhuà ma?Do you often call your parents?
Questions about 父母
What does 父母 mean?
父母 (fùmǔ) means “parents”.
How do you pronounce 父母?
父母 is pronounced fùmǔ.
Which HSK level is 父母?
父母 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Related words
- 父亲fùqīnfather
- 祖父zǔfùgrandfather (father's father)
- 父女fùnǚfather and daughter
- 父子fùzǐfather and son
- 母亲mǔqīnmother
- 字母zìmǔletter (of the alphabet)
- 伯母bómǔaunt (wife of father's elder brother)
- 母语mǔyǔmother tongue
- 岳母yuèmǔmother-in-law (wife's mother)
- 母女mǔnǚmother and daughter
Learn 父母 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.