Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

uke

/ˈuːke/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English

Syllables: uke
IPA: /ˈuːke/

7

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Clipping of ukulele.

Informal

noun

The training partner against whom tori performs a move.

noun

A passive or submissive male fictional character in a same-sex relationship; a bottom.

Slang

noun

Colloquial

Example Sentences

"Yaoi uke in fanfics often bear the brunt of stereotypical "negative female characteristics" such as passivity, helplessness, and masochism."
"You'd rather have Sebas be an uke?"
"Shizuku is so, so, so cute! I love him as an uke so much I can't stand it!"

Etymology

From Japanese 受け (uke), the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 受(う)ける (ukeru, “to receive, to get”).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: 受け

Usage

Inflected Forms

ukes (plural)

Derived Forms

banjouke

Phrases

banjo uke

Synonyms

Ukie Yukie ukulele

Antonyms

seme

Rhymes With

look duke luke nuke puke fluke rebuke chinook spook juke kook sook

Questions

How do you pronounce uke?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈuːke/.
What does uke mean?: Clipping of ukulele.
Where does uke come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce uke

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “uke”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈuːke/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “uke”.
Repeat and practice — Say “uke” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.