哥 gē older brother
How to remember 哥: 可 may + 可 may = older brother. The little sister asks if she may borrow his bike, then if she may borrow his helmet, and gets a sigh and a yes from her older brother.
Component breakdown
哥 = 可 may + 可 may
- 可 may
- 丁 nail
- 口 mouth
- 可 may
- 丁 nail
- 口 mouth
The little sister asks if she may borrow his bike, then if she may borrow his helmet, and gets a sigh and a yes from her older brother.
How it came to be
May written twice, one over the other. May was a call, so this is the same call repeated, which is singing. The brother sense is a loan of the sound.
How it is used
- 'Older brother', chiefly doubled as 哥哥 (gēge) - 我哥 (wǒ gē) my big brother.
- It's also a friendly address for a slightly older man: 大哥 (dàgē) big bro, or attached to names (王哥).
- Chinese distinguishes older vs younger sibling lexically - 哥哥 is specifically the elder brother, versus 弟弟 (dìdi) the younger.
Characters built with 哥
Words with 哥
Example sentences
- 其中的高个子就是我哥哥。 Qízhōng de gāogèzi jiù shì wǒ gēge.The tall one of the group is my older brother.