diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/unicode/ustdio.h b/icu4c/source/io/unicode/ustdio.h
index f8c15e86434..235db324669 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/unicode/ustdio.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/unicode/ustdio.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
 ******************************************************************************
 *
-*   Copyright (C) 1998-2007, International Business Machines
+*   Copyright (C) 1998-2008, International Business Machines
 *   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 *
 ******************************************************************************
@@ -696,8 +696,9 @@ u_sprintf(UChar       *buffer,
  * @param count The number of code units to read.
  * @param patternSpecification A pattern specifying how <TT>u_sprintf</TT> will
  * interpret the variable arguments received and format the data.
- * @return The number of Unicode code units written to <TT>buffer</TT>. This
- * does not include the terminating null character.
+ * @return The number of Unicode characters that would have been written to
+ * <TT>buffer</TT> had count been sufficiently large. This does not include
+ * the terminating null character.
  * @draft 3.0
  */
 U_DRAFT int32_t U_EXPORT2
@@ -739,7 +740,8 @@ u_vsprintf(UChar      *buffer,
  * @param patternSpecification A pattern specifying how <TT>u_sprintf</TT> will
  * interpret the variable arguments received and format the data.
  * @param ap The argument list to use.
- * @return The number of Unicode characters written to <TT>buffer</TT>.
+ * @return The number of Unicode characters that would have been written to
+ * <TT>buffer</TT> had count been sufficiently large.
  * @see u_sprintf
  * @draft 3.0
  */
@@ -775,7 +777,8 @@ u_sprintf_u(UChar      *buffer,
  * @param count The number of code units to read.
  * @param patternSpecification A pattern specifying how <TT>u_sprintf</TT> will
  * interpret the variable arguments received and format the data.
- * @return The number of Unicode characters written to <TT>buffer</TT>.
+ * @return The number of Unicode characters that would have been written to
+ * <TT>buffer</TT> had count been sufficiently large.
  * @draft 3.0
  */
 U_DRAFT int32_t U_EXPORT2
@@ -817,7 +820,8 @@ u_vsprintf_u(UChar     *buffer,
  * @param patternSpecification A pattern specifying how <TT>u_sprintf</TT> will
  * interpret the variable arguments received and format the data.
  * @param ap The argument list to use.
- * @return The number of Unicode characters written to <TT>f</TT>.
+ * @return The number of Unicode characters that would have been written to
+ * <TT>f</TT> had count been sufficiently large.
  * @see u_sprintf_u
  * @draft 3.0
  */