Chinese word

哥哥

Pronunciation

Pinyingē gē

Meaning

  • nounolder brother

Example

我有两个哥哥。wǒ yǒu liǎng gè gē gē

I have two older brothers.

Illustration for 哥哥 (older brother)

More examples

我的哥哥比我大。wǒ dī gē gē bǐ wǒ dà

My older brother is older than me.

Core concept

An older male who is a brother in the family or is treated like a brother in friendly speech.

Common phrases

  • 我的哥哥wǒ dī gē gē

    my older brother

  • 两个哥哥liǎng gè gē gē

    two older brothers

  • 没有哥哥méi yǒu gē gē

    no older brother

Similar words

弟弟dì di: A male sibling younger than the speaker.
姐姐jié jiě: An older female sibling who may be addressed with warmth and familiarity.
爸爸bà bà: The male parent in a family.
妈妈mā mā: The female parent in a family.

Definition in Chinese

指比自己年长的男性兄弟；在口语中也可泛指年长的男性以示亲近。zhǐ bǐ zì jǐ nián zhǎng de nán xìng xiōng dì zài kóu yǔ zhōng yě kě fàn zhǐ nián zhǎng de nán xìng yǐ shì qīn jìn

Word origin

哥哥 (gēgē, "older brother") combines 哥 (gē, "older brother") + 哥 (gē, "older brother"), preserving the older-brother meaning in a common two-syllable form.

Usage tips

  • The English phrase Big Brother can suggest a powerful watcher in fiction and public language, but 哥哥 (gēgē, "older brother") does not carry that association in ordinary use.

Other meanings

  • bronoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word