哥哥

gē ge

CL 位 wèi 个 gè

HSK 2.0 Level 2 HSK 3.0 Level 1 Noun Very common

Definitions

1. older brother
2. CL:個|个
3. 位[wèi]

Word relationships

Counterparts

1 item

• 弟弟 dì di 弟弟 dì di younger brother 哥哥 means older brother, while 弟弟 means younger brother.: younger brother

Register variants

1 item

• 兄长 xiōng zhǎng 兄长 xiōng zhǎng elder brother 哥哥 is the common term; 兄长 is a formal/literary variant.: elder brother

Synonyms

2 items

• 兄长 xiōng zhǎng 兄长 xiōng zhǎng elder brother 兄长是哥哥的正式说法，常用于书面或尊称: elder brother
• 哥 gē 哥 gē elder brother 哥是哥哥的简称，常用于口语或称谓: elder brother

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 哥 gē: elder brother