哥哥

哥哥 (gēge) means 'older brother' — the standard, everyday word for a male sibling who is older than the speaker. Like all Chinese kinship terms, 哥哥 specifies both age and gender, so unlike English 'brother' it cannot be used for a younger brother (that's 弟弟, dìdi). The doubled form 哥哥 is the affectionate everyday version used by family and friends; the single 哥 (gē) appears in compounds (大哥 'oldest brother', 表哥 'older male cousin'), as a respectful address for slightly older men, or in modern slang where young women may flirtatiously call any older male 哥哥. The second 哥 is toneless in normal speech, giving the same neutral-tone pattern as other family terms (爸爸, 妈妈, 弟弟, 姐姐). 哥哥 is also widely used as a term of endearment for older male friends in close circles, especially online.

Note: In casual urban speech, young women sometimes call any older male friend or even strangers 哥哥 affectionately or flirtatiously. Used between actual family members, it just means 'older brother.'