阿哥 (ā gē) — (dialectal, literary) elder brother; (familiar) big bro, older male friend or acquaintance

Definition

阿哥 is an intimate, slightly old-fashioned way to address an older brother or an older male acquaintance (literally 'older brother'). It sounds warmer and more literary than plain 哥哥, and is common in dialect, fiction, and historical speech.

noun
(dialectal, literary) elder brother(familiar) big bro, older male friend or acquaintance
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 阿哥，？
    ā gē, Nǐ shén me shí hou huí lái?
    Big bro, when are you coming back?
  • 阿哥。
    Zhè wèi ā gē shì wǒ de lín jū.
    This big bro is my neighbor.
  • 阿哥。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ de ā gē shì gè yǒng gǎn de rén.
    The elder brother in the novel is a brave person.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
前缀qiánzhuìPrefix

A fixed syllable in front that adds a shade of meaning but carries none of its own.

阿āfamiliar form
哥gēolder brother

阿 gives a familiar, affectionate tone, and 哥 means older brother, together forming a term for big brother.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
可
可kě阿ā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 阜 points to a mound, and 可 gives the pronunciation; 阿 originally meant a big mound.

Open 阿 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 哥 →

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