Meaning of 兄弟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- brothers
- younger brother
- I, me (humble term used by men in public speech)
- brotherly
- fraternal
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 兄弟
兄弟 means brothers as a group, and men also use it as a warm way to address close male friends, like "bro." In formal speeches a man may call himself 兄弟 humbly, though this sounds old-fashioned now. Example: 我们是好兄弟。(Wǒmen shì hǎo xiōngdì.) We are like brothers.
兄弟 (xiōngdì) simply puts 兄 (xiōng, older brother) next to 弟 (dì, younger brother), so older plus younger gives you "brothers." Picture 兄 with its big 口 (mouth) on top as the older one who does the talking.
Common mistake: Learners often read 弟 here with a full fourth tone, but in everyday speech 兄弟 is often pronounced xiōngdi with a light second syllable, especially when it means "younger brother" or is used as a friendly address. Also do not confuse 兄 (xiōng) with 只 (zhǐ), which has a similar 口 on top but different strokes below.
兄弟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
兄 xiōng · elder brother · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
弟 dì · younger brother · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 兄弟.
| 弟弟 | dìdi | younger brother |
| 徒弟 | túdì | apprentice; disciple |
| 弟子 | dìzǐ | disciple; follower |
| 子弟 | zǐdì | child; the younger generation |
| 老兄 | lǎoxiōng | elder brother (often used self-referentially); (form of address between male friends) old |
| 老弟 | lǎodì | (affectionate form of address for a male who is not very much younger than oneself) my boy |
| 小弟 | xiǎodì | little brother; I, your little brother (humble) |
| 小弟弟 | xiǎodìdi | little brother; little boy |
| 表弟 | biǎodì | younger male cousin through a female relative |
| 弟兄 | dìxiong | brothers; comrade |
| 师兄 | shīxiōng | senior male fellow disciple or student (by seniority, not age); son of one's teacher who i |
| 兄弟姐妹 | xiōngdìjiěmèi | brothers and sisters; siblings |
Questions about 兄弟
What does 兄弟 mean?
兄弟 (xiōngdì) means "brothers; younger brother" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 兄弟?
兄弟 is made of 2 characters: 兄 (5 strokes), 弟 (7 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 兄弟 an HSK word?
Yes. 兄弟 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 兄弟 and 弟弟?
弟弟 (dìdi) means only your younger brother. 兄弟 usually means brothers together, or a close male friend. In some regions 兄弟 can also mean younger brother, but 弟弟 is clearer.
Can women use 兄弟 or be called 兄弟?
兄弟 is male by default, and for sisters you say 姐妹 (jiěmèi). For mixed siblings, use 兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi). Some young women jokingly call a close female friend 兄弟 to show a casual, tomboyish friendship, but this is informal slang.