How to say “older brother” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
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Flat first tone, then a neutral repeat. Chinese splits siblings by age: 哥哥 (gēge) older brother, 弟弟 (dìdi) younger brother. 哥 on its own is also a friendly 'bro' for a slightly older man, as in 帅哥 (shuàigē).
In a sentence
Wǒ gēge bǐ wǒ dà sān suì.
My older brother is three years older than me.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "older brother" in Chinese?+
"older brother" in Mandarin Chinese is 哥哥, pronounced gēge. Flat first tone, then a neutral repeat. Chinese splits siblings by age: 哥哥 (gēge) older brother, 弟弟 (dìdi) younger brother. 哥 on its own is also a friendly 'bro' for a slightly older man, as in 帅哥 (shuàigē).
What does 哥哥 mean literally?+
哥哥 breaks down as 哥 (gē) = elder brother, 哥 (ge) = (repeated, neutral). Together it means "older brother".
How do I get the tones right in gēge?+
Flat first tone, then a neutral repeat. Chinese splits siblings by age: 哥哥 (gēge) older brother, 弟弟 (dìdi) younger brother. 哥 on its own is also a friendly 'bro' for a slightly older man, as in 帅哥 (shuàigē).
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