弟弟
younger brother
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HSK level
- Pinyin
- dìdi
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 14
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 个
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 弟弟
弟弟 is written with 14 strokes (弟: 7, 弟: 7). The animation replays automatically.
What does 弟弟 mean?
弟弟 (dìdi) means 'younger brother' — the standard, everyday word for a male sibling who is younger than the speaker.
Chinese kinship terms always specify age and side of the family, so unlike English 'brother,' 弟弟 cannot refer to an older brother (that's 哥哥, gēge). The reduplicated form 弟弟 is what family members and friends use; the single 弟 (dì) appears in formal writing or compounds (兄弟, xiōngdì, 'brothers').
The second 弟 in 弟弟 is toneless in normal speech, giving the typical neutral-tone pattern of family terms (爸爸, 妈妈, 姐姐). 弟弟 can also be used affectionately by adults to address a young boy they don't know — like English 'little guy' — though this usage is mostly limited to small children.
Character by character
Hear 弟弟 in real episodes
弟弟 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
去年，他的弟弟安德鲁不是王子了。
Last year, his younger brother Andrew was no longer a prince.
King Charles III at Four Years: Cancer, Family Scandal and a 58% Approval Rating — How He Stopped Complaining
Example sentences
我有一个弟弟。
Wǒ yǒu yí ge dìdi.
I have a younger brother.
neutral
我弟弟今年八岁。
Wǒ dìdi jīnnián bā suì.
My younger brother is eight this year.
spoken
他的弟弟很可爱。
Tā de dìdi hěn kě'ài.
His younger brother is so cute.
spoken
弟弟在学校学习。
Dìdi zài xuéxiào xuéxí.
My younger brother is studying at school.
neutral
我和弟弟一起去公园。
Wǒ hé dìdi yìqǐ qù gōngyuán.
My younger brother and I are going to the park together.
neutral
Common phrases with 弟弟
Synonyms
兄弟 means 'brothers' as a category (older + younger together) or 'bro / buddy' between male friends. 弟弟 specifically means YOUR younger brother.
Single-character 弟 is the formal/written form, used in compounds (表弟 'younger male cousin', 师弟 'junior schoolmate'). In everyday speech you double it: 弟弟.
Don't confuse 弟弟 with
妹妹 is 'younger sister.' Same age relationship to the speaker, different gender. The pair is 弟弟 / 妹妹.
哥哥 is 'older brother.' Chinese always splits siblings by age, so you cannot use 弟弟 for an older brother.
第 is a prefix for ordinal numbers (第一 'first', 第二 'second'). Same pinyin as 弟, completely unrelated meaning. Different character.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
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