Gege (Chinese: 哥哥; pinyin: gēgē) is an informal term used by Chinese siblings to address their older brother. It literally means “older brother”, with the word ge (哥) meaning “older” or “bigger” and the word gege (哥哥) being used to differentiate it from the term gūgu (古阜), which means “elder brother”.

The use of gege is not limited to younger brothers addressing their older brothers but can also be used by younger sisters addressing their older brothers. Similarly, it can also be used by a younger brother addressing his own older brother.

The term is often used affectionately, but has no direct translation into English because there is no general equivalent in English for such a term; unlike the words “brother” or “sister”, which refer only to blood relatives, or terms like “cousin”, which refer only to family relations that are closely related by blood or marriage. It can be translated as meaning either “sibling” or simply “someone who is older than you”.This does not mean that the two parties have any other relationship besides being siblings

Last modified: October 4, 2022