King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “brothers”

兄弟
xiōng dì
brothers; younger brother; 个 (gè); I, me (humble term used by men in public speech)

The closest CC-CEDICT match for brothers is 兄弟 (xiōng dì), defined as: brothers; younger brother; 个 (gè); I, me (humble term used by men in public speech); brotherly; fraternal.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

兄 xiōng
elder brother
radical 10 ⼉ · 5 strokes
弟 dì
young brother, junior
radical 57 ⼸ · 7 strokes

Other Chinese words for “brothers”

WordPinyinMeaning
弟兄dì xiongbrothers; comrade
弟兄们 (弟兄們)dì xiōng menbrothers; comrades
哥儿 (哥兒)gē rbrothers; boys
手足shǒu zúhands and feet; (fig.) brothers
昆仲kūn zhòng(literary) brothers; elder and younger brother

Related words

Other words that share a character with 兄弟.

WordPinyinMeaning
弟兄dì xiongbrothers; comrade
兄妹xiōng mèibrother(s) and sister(s)
兄长 (兄長)xiōng zhǎngelder brother; term of respect for a man of about the same age
师兄 (師兄)shī xiōngsenior male fellow disciple or student (by seniority, not age); son of one's teacher who is older than oneself
兄弟姐妹xiōng dì jiě mèibrothers and sisters; siblings
弟弟dì diyounger brother; 个 (gè),位 (wèi)
弟子dì zǐdisciple; follower
徒弟tú dìapprentice; disciple

See also: Japanese symbol for “brothers”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Cotton vs Polyester Hakama Which Is Easier to Maintain
  2. Choosing Your First Bokken for Serious Samurai Training
  3. Are Engraved Bokken Good Gifts and Can You Train With Them
  4. Best Wooden Naginata for Practice and How to Choose Yours
  5. Choosing a Keikogi for Hakama Compatibility and Performance
  6. What Size Hakama Should I Order for Proper Fit
  7. Best Aikido Hakama for Beginners Choosing Your First Pair
  8. Kendo Bogu Costs and Timing Your First Purchase
  9. Best Kendo Starter Sets for Beginners and How to Choose
  10. Best Sword Oil and Cloth Kits for Wooden Training Weapons