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哥哥

gē ge
位 wèi 个 gè
HSK 2.0 Level 2 HSK 3.0 Level 1 Noun Very common

Definitions

  1. 1. older brother
  2. 2. CL:個|个
  3. 3. 位[wèi]
  4. 4. older brother; extended familiar address

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Word relationships

Counterparts

1 item
弟弟
dì di

younger brother

哥哥 means older brother, while 弟弟 means younger brother.

Register variants

1 item
兄长
xiōng zhǎng

elder brother

哥哥 is the common term; 兄长 is a formal/literary variant.

Synonyms

2 items
兄长
xiōng zhǎng

elder brother

兄长是哥哥的正式说法，常用于书面或尊称
哥
gē

elder brother

哥是哥哥的简称，常用于口语或称谓

Usage notes

Collocations

Often used with “大” (dà) to mean “eldest brother,” e.g., “大哥哥” (dà gēge). Reduplication “哥哥” is the norm; single “哥” appears in compounds or casual address.

Formality

“哥哥” is the standard, neutral term for older brother in both spoken and written Chinese. “兄长” (xiōngzhǎng) is a more formal or literary equivalent.

Example Sentences

4 shown
我 哥哥 喜欢看书。
My older brother likes to read.
豐有兩個 哥哥 。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 842410)
我 哥哥 會開車。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 851524)
你認識他 哥哥 嗎？
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 806809)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 哥哥

哥
gē

elder brother