兄弟

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Chinese

elder brother younger brother
simp. and trad.
(兄弟) 		兄 弟
anagram 弟兄

Etymology

Dvandva of 兄 (xiōng, “older brother”) + 弟 (dì, “younger brother”)

Pronunciation 1

Note:
  • hiaⁿ-tī/hiaⁿ-tǐ - vernacular;
  • heng-tē/heng-tě - literary.
Rime
Character 兄 弟 弟
Reading # 1/1 1/2 2/2
Initial (聲) 曉 (32) 定 (7) 定 (7)
Final (韻) 庚 (112) 齊 (39) 齊 (39)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Rising (X) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Closed Open Open
Division (等) III IV IV
Fanqie 許榮切 徒禮切 特計切
Baxter xjwaeng dejX dejH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/hˠwiæŋ/ /deiX/ /deiH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/hʷᵚiaŋ/ /deiX/ /deiH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/xiuaŋ/ /dɛiX/ /dɛiH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/hwiajŋ/ /dɛjX/ /dɛjH/
Li
Rong 		/xiuɐŋ/ /deiX/ /deiH/
Wang
Li 		/xĭwɐŋ/ /dieiX/ /dieiH/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/xi̯wɐŋ/ /dʱieiX/ /dʱieiH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		xiōng dì dì
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		hing1 dai6 dai6
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 兄 弟
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		xiōng dì
Middle
Chinese 		‹ xjwæng › ‹ dejX ›
Old
Chinese 		/*m̥raŋ/ /*lˁəjʔ/
English elder brother younger brother

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 兄 弟 弟
Reading # 1/1 1/2 2/2
No. 13905 2294 2297
Phonetic
component 		兄 弟 弟
Rime
group 		陽 脂 脂
Rime
subdivision 		0 1 1
Corresponding
MC rime 		兄 弟 第
Old
Chinese 		/*hmraŋ/ /*diːlʔ/ /*diːls/
Notes 甲金文象張口呵喝之人，
金文有往聲者。疑初與孟同源 		甲金文象繩束弋（朱芳圃說），繞弋繩須次第不亂方利於射，
爲第初文

Noun

兄弟

  1. (literal) brother
  2. (literal) brethren; brothers and sisters; siblings
  3. (figurative) brothers; close friends; good friends (Classifier: 位 m)
  4. gangster
  5. (Cantonese) groomsman
Synonyms
  • (brother):
Dialectal synonyms of 兄弟 (“brothers”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 兄弟, 手足, 昆仲, 昆季
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 兄弟
Mandarin Beijing 哥兒, 弟兄
Taiwan 兄弟
Jinan 弟兄, 弟兄們, 兄弟
Xi'an 弟兄
Wuhan 弟兄, 兄弟
Chengdu 弟兄
Yangzhou 弟兄
Hefei 弟兄, 兄弟
Malaysia 兄弟
Singapore 兄弟
Cantonese Guangzhou 兄弟
Hong Kong 兄弟
Taishan 兄弟
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 兄弟
Singapore (Guangfu) 兄弟
Gan Nanchang 兄弟
Hakka Meixian 兄弟
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 兄弟
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 兄弟
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 兄弟
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 兄弟
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 兄弟
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 兄弟
Jin Taiyuan 弟兄, 兄弟
Northern Min Jian'ou 兄弟
Eastern Min Fuzhou 兄弟, 兄弟哥
Matsu 兄弟哥
Southern Min Xiamen 兄弟
Quanzhou 兄弟
Zhangzhou 兄弟
Taipei 兄弟
New Taipei (Sanxia) 兄弟
Kaohsiung 兄弟
Yilan 兄弟
Changhua (Lukang) 兄弟
Taichung 兄弟仔
Tainan 兄弟
Hsinchu 兄弟仔
Kinmen 兄弟
Penghu (Magong) 兄弟
Penang (Hokkien) 兄弟
Singapore (Hokkien) 兄弟
Manila (Hokkien) 兄弟, 兄弟仔
Chaozhou 兄弟
Shantou 兄弟
Haifeng 兄弟
Singapore (Teochew) 兄弟
Wenchang 兄弟
Singapore (Hainanese) 兄弟
Wu Suzhou 弟兄
Wenzhou 兄弟
Xiang Changsha 弟兄, 兄弟
Shuangfeng 弟兄, 兄弟
  • (groomsman): 伴郎 (bànláng)
Antonyms
  • (antonym(s) of "brother"): 姐妹 (jiěmèi)
Derived terms
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (兄弟):

Pronunciation 2

Noun

兄弟

  1. (Mandarin, Gan, Jin, dialectal Wu, colloquial) younger brother
  2. (colloquial) my brother; bro (A term of address for a close friend of similar age or younger)
    兄弟，我今天請客。 [MSC, trad.]
    兄弟，我今天请客。 [MSC, simp.]
    Xiōngdì, wǒ jīntiān qǐngkè.
    My brother, it's my treat today.
    兄弟，我今仔日請人。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
    兄弟，我今仔日请人。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]
    Hiaⁿ-tī, góa kin-á-ji̍t chhiáⁿ-lâng. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
    My brother, it's my treat today.
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 弟弟 (“younger brother”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 弟
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 弟弟
Mandarin Beijing 兄弟, 弟弟
Taiwan 弟弟
Harbin 兄弟, 弟弟
Yantai (Muping) 兄兒, 兄弟
Jinan 兄弟, 弟弟
Luoyang 兄弟
Wanrong 兄弟 male speaker, 弟子 female speaker
Xi'an 兄弟
Yinchuan 兄弟
Xining 兄弟, 弟弟
Ürümqi 弟弟, 兄弟, 富康子
Wuhan 弟弟, 兄弟
Chengdu 弟娃兒, 兄弟, 弟弟
Guiyang 弟, 兄弟, 弟弟 childish
Liuzhou 弟, 阿弟, 老弟
Xuzhou 弟弟, 兄弟
Yangzhou 兄弟, 弟弟
Nanjing 弟弟, 兄弟
Hefei 兄弟, 弟弟
Nantong 弟子
Malaysia 弟弟
Singapore 弟弟
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) 兄弟
Cantonese Guangzhou 細佬, 弟弟
Hong Kong 細佬, 弟弟
Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou) 細佬
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 細佬
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 細佬
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 阿弟
Macau 細佬
Guangzhou (Panyu) 細佬
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 細佬
Guangzhou (Conghua) 細佬
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 細佬
Foshan 細佬
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 細佬
Foshan (Shunde) 細佬
Foshan (Sanshui) 細佬
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 細佬
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 細佬
Zhuhai (Qianshan) 細佬
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 細佬
Zhuhai (Doumen) 細佬
Jiangmen (Baisha) 細佬
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 細佬
Taishan 細佬, 阿弟, 細, 弟
Kaiping (Chikan) 阿弟, 細佬
Enping (Niujiang) 阿弟
Heshan (Yayao) 細佬
Dongguan 細佬, 弟弟
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 細佬
Shaoguan 細佬
Yangjiang 小弟
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 細佬
Singapore (Guangfu) 細佬
Gan Nanchang 老弟, 兄弟
Lichuan 弟
Pingxiang 老弟
Hakka Meixian 老弟, 老弟仔
Xingning 老弟, 老弟里
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 老弟
Huiyang 老弟
Huidong (Daling) 老弟
Dongguan (Qingxi) 老弟
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 老弟
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 老弟
Wuhua (Shuizhai) 老弟
Wuhua (Huacheng) 老弟
Wuhua (Changbu) 老弟
Wuhua (Mianyang) 老弟
Wuhua (Meilin) 老弟
Heyuan (Bendihua) 老弟
Wengyuan 老弟
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 老弟
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 老弟
Liannan 老弟
Conghua (Lütian) 弟弟
Jiexi 老弟
Luhe 老弟
Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan) 阿弟
Changting 老弟
Wuping 老弟
Wuping (Yanqian) 老弟子
Wuping (Pingyu) 老弟子
Liancheng 老弟
Ninghua 老弟
Yudu 老弟
Ningdu 老弟
Ruijin 老弟
Shicheng 老弟
Shangyou (Shexi) 老弟
Tonggu (Sandu) 老弟
Ganzhou (Panlong) 老弟
Dayu 弟佬
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 老弟
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 老弟
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 老弟
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 老弟
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 老弟
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 阿弟
Hong Kong 老弟
Yangxi (Tangkou) 老弟
Yangchun (Sanjia) 細佬
Xinyi (Sihe) 老弟, 細佬
Xinyi (Qianpai) 老弟, 細佬
Gaozhou (Xindong) 老弟
Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai) 老弟
Huazhou (Xin'an) 老弟
Lianjiang (Shijiao) 老弟
Lianjiang (Qingping) 阿弟, 老弟
Mengshan (Xihe) 老弟
Luchuan 老弟
Sabah (Bao'an) 老弟
Sabah (Longchuan) 老弟
Senai (Huiyang) 老弟
Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo) 老弟
Singkawang 阿弟, 老弟
Huizhou Jixi 弟
Jin Taiyuan 兄弟, 弟弟
Xinzhou 兄弟
Northern Min Jian'ou 弟仔
Eastern Min Fuzhou 依弟 face-to-face, 弟
Southern Min Xiamen 小弟, 阿弟 face-to-face
Quanzhou 小弟, 阿弟 face-to-face
Zhangzhou 小弟, 阿弟 face-to-face
Zhao'an 細弟仔, 細弟
Kaohsiung 小弟
Yilan 小弟
Changhua (Lukang) 小弟
Taichung 小弟
Taichung (Wuqi) 小弟
Tainan 小弟
Taitung 小弟
Hsinchu 小弟
Penghu (Magong) 小弟
Penang (Hokkien) 小弟, 阿棣
Singapore (Hokkien) 小弟, 阿弟 face-to-face
Manila (Hokkien) 小弟
Chaozhou 阿弟
Shantou 阿弟
Jieyang 阿弟
Haifeng 阿弟, 弟, 弟弟
Bangkok (Teochew) 阿弟
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 阿弟
Singapore (Teochew) 阿弟
Leizhou 老弟
Haikou 老弟 non-face-to-face, 阿弟 face-to-face
Zhongshan Min Shaxi (Longdu) 細佬, 弟弟
Sanxiang 細佬
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 老弟
Wu Shanghai 弟弟, 阿弟, 兄弟
Shanghai (Chongming) 兄弟
Suzhou 兄弟, 弟弟
Danyang 弟子
Hangzhou 阿弟, 弟弟
Ningbo 阿弟, 弟弟 face-to-face
Wenzhou 阿弟
Jinhua 弟
Xiang Changsha 老弟, 弟弟
Loudi 老弟
Shuangfeng 老弟, 弟弟

Pronoun

兄弟

  1. A humble term of self-address used by a man to people of the same generation.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
兄 弟
けい
Grade: 2 		てい
Grade: 2
kan’on
Kanji in this term
兄 弟
きょう
Grade: 2 		だい
Grade: 2
goon
 兄弟 on Japanese Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology

From 兄 (kyō, “elder brother”, Go-on) +‎ 弟 (dai, “younger brother”, Go-on), from Middle Chinese 兄弟.

Alternatively, from 兄 (kei, “elder brother”) (Kan-on) +‎ 弟 (tei, “younger brother”) (Kan-on), from Chinese 兄弟. Compare 兄妹 (keimai, “elder brother and younger sister”), 姉弟 (shitei, “elder sister and younger brother”), and 姉妹 (shimai, “elder and younger sisters”).

Pronunciation

Noun

兄(きょう)弟(だい) • (kyōdai) ←きやうだい (kyaudai)? (alternative reading hiragana けいてい, rōmaji keitei)

  1. brothers
    だんご三(さん)兄(きょう)弟(だい)
    dango san kyōdai
    Dango three brothers
  2. (by extension) siblings in general
    男(おとこ)兄(きょう)弟(だい)
    otoko kyōdai
    brothers
    女(おんな)兄(きょう)弟(だい)
    onna kyōdai
    sisters
  3. (by extension) brothers and sisters; brethren (brotherhood; fellowship)

Usage notes

  • Note that the alternative forms listed above are used to be specific to the kinds of siblings.
  • For the general "siblings" sense, hiragana may be used instead of kanji.
  • The alternative spellings are only utilised for the siblings sense and may only be used with the pronunciation kyōdai

Hypernyms

Coordinate terms

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
兄弟

Noun

兄弟 • (hyeongje) (hangeul 형제)

  1. Hanja form? of 형제 (“brother, brothers, sibling”).

Kunigami

Kanji in this term
兄 弟
ちょー
Grade: 2 		れー
Grade: 2

Etymology

Cognate to Japanese 兄弟 (kyōdai).

Pronunciation

Noun

兄(ちょー)弟(れー) (chōrē) 

  1. siblings; brothers and sisters

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
兄 弟
ちょー
Grade: 2 		でー
Grade: 2

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 兄弟 (kyōdai).

Pronunciation

Noun

兄(ちょー)弟(でー) (chōdē) 

  1. siblings; brothers and sisters

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
兄弟

Noun

兄弟

  1. chữ Hán form of huynh đệ (“brothers”).
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