哥

哥	U+54E5, 哥 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-54E5

← 哤
[U+54E4]

CJK Unified Ideographs

哦 →
[U+54E6]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

哥 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 一口弓口 (MRNR), four-corner 1062₁, composition ⿱⿹丅口可(GHTV) or ⿱可可(JK))

Derived characters

𠹭𡟵彁滒𣘁謌鎶㢦戨歌䔅𰣻

References

KangXi: page 190, character 8

Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3641

Dae Jaweon: page 409, character 25

Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 624, character 19

Unihan data for U+54E5

Chinese

simp. and trad.		哥

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (可) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
砢	*ɡ·raːlʔ
柯	*kaːl
菏	kaːl, ɡaːl
牁	*kaːl
滒	*kaːl
哥	*kaːl
歌	*kaːl
謌	*kaːl
鴚	*kaːl
哿	*kaːlʔ
舸	*kaːlʔ
笴	kaːlʔ, kaːnʔ
軻	kʰaːl, kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
珂	*kʰaːl
可	*kʰaːlʔ
岢	*kʰaːlʔ
坷	kʰaːlʔ, kʰaːls
蚵	kʰaːls, ɡaːl
呵	qʰaːl, qʰaːls
訶	*qʰaːl
抲	*qʰaːl
荷	qʰaːls, ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
何	ɡaːl, ɡaːlʔ
河	*ɡaːl
苛	*ɡaːl
魺	*ɡaːl
袔	*ɡaːls
阿	*qaːl
妸	qaːl, qaːlʔ
疴	qaːl, kʰraːls
鈳	*qaːl
娿	qaːl, qaːlʔ
痾	*qaːl
跒	*kʰraːlʔ
閜	*qʰraːlʔ

Stacked form of 可 (OC *kʰaːlʔ).

Etymology

“elder brother”: This sense is attested in Medieval Chinese, and became popular during the Tang dynasty, gradually displacing 兄 (MC hˠwiæŋ).; It is a clipping of 阿哥 (MC ʔɑ kɑ), a borrowing from Xianbei *aqa (“elder brother”) (Mei, 2015). Compare Proto-Mongolic *aka, whence also Mongolian ᠠᠬ᠎ᠠ (aq'a, “elder brother”). Related to 阿干 (MC ʔɑ kɑn), which is the definite form of the same Xianbei word (Mei, 2015).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): gē (ge¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄍㄜ
(Chengdu, SP): go¹
(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гә (gə, I)
Cantonese (Jyutping): go¹
Gan (Wiktionary): go¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): kô
(Meixian, Guangdong): go¹
Jin (Wiktionary): ge¹
Min Bei (KCR): gó̤
Min Dong (BUC): gŏ̤
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): ko / ko͘ / koh
(Teochew, Peng'im): go¹
Wu (Wiktionary): ku (T1)
Xiang (Wiktionary): go¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gē
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄜ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: ge
  - Wade–Giles: ko¹
  - Yale: gē
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ge
  - Palladius: гэ (gɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɤ⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (哥兒／哥儿)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gēr
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄜㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: ger
  - Wade–Giles: kêrh¹
  - Yale: gēr
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ge'l
  - Palladius: гэр (gɛr)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɤɻ⁵⁵/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    哥兒／哥儿
    歌兒／歌儿
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: go¹
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: go
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ko⁵⁵/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гә (gə, I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kə²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: go¹
  - Yale: gō
  - Cantonese Pinyin: go¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: go¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔː⁵⁵/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: go¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ko⁴²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kô
  - Hakka Romanization System: go´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: go¹
  - Sinological IPA: /ko²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: go¹
  - Sinological IPA: /ko⁴⁴/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: ge¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /kɤ¹¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gó̤
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔ⁵⁴/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: gŏ̤
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ko⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko
  - Tâi-lô: ko
  - Phofsit Daibuun: koy
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kɤ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ko³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /ko⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko͘
  - Tâi-lô: koo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kof
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kɔ³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: koh
  - Tâi-lô: koh
  - Phofsit Daibuun: koiq
  - IPA (Taipei): /koʔ³²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kɤʔ³²/

Note: koh - only in 哥哥.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: go¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ko
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ko³³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: ku (T1)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kv̩ʷ⁵³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: go¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ko³³/

Middle Chinese: /kɑ/

Rime
Character	哥
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古俄切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ka/
Li Rong	/kɑ/
Wang Li	/kɑ/
Bernard Karlgren	/kɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gē
Expected Cantonese Reflex	go¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*kaːl/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	哥
Reading #	1/1
No.	7437
Phonetic component	可
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	歌
Old Chinese	/*kaːl/
Notes	後作歌

Definitions

哥

older brother; elder brother
older male relative of the same generation
(honorific) term of address for a male person of the same age or older
Short for 哥斯達黎加／哥斯达黎加 (Gēsīdálíjiā, “Costa Rica”).
^† Original form of 歌 (gē, “to sing; song”).

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 哥哥 (“elder brother”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		兄
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		哥哥, 兄長
Mandarin	Beijing	哥哥, 哥
	Taiwan	哥哥, 哥
	Harbin	哥哥
	Shenyang	哥哥
	Yantai (Muping)	哥
	Jinan	哥哥
	Luoyang	哥
	Wanrong	哥
	Xi'an	哥
	Yinchuan	哥哥
	Xining	阿哥
	Ürümqi	哥哥, 哥, 阿哥 Hui, ><
	Wuhan	哥哥
	Chengdu	哥哥, 哥, 哥老倌兒, 哥老倌
	Guiyang	哥哥, 哥
	Kunming	哥哥
	Liuzhou	哥
	Xuzhou	哥哥
	Yangzhou	哥哥, 哥
	Nanjing	哥哥
	Hefei	哥哥
	Malaysia	哥哥
	Singapore	哥哥
Cantonese	Guangzhou	大佬, 阿哥, 哥哥 ><
	Hong Kong	大佬, 阿哥, 哥哥
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	哥哥 ><, 大佬 <>, 阿哥 <>
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	哥哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	阿哥
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	哥哥 ><, 阿哥 <>
	Macau	阿哥 ><, 大佬
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	阿哥 ><, 大哥, 大佬 <>
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Foshan	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	阿哥
	Foshan (Shunde)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Foshan (Sanshui)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Taishan	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>, 哥
	Kaiping (Chikan)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Enping (Niujiang)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Heshan (Yayao)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Dongguan	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Yangjiang	大佬, 阿哥
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
	Singapore (Guangfu)	大佬, 哥哥
Gan	Nanchang	哥哥 ><, 兄 <>
Gan	Lichuan	哥 ><, 兄 <>
Hakka	Meixian	阿哥
	Xingning	阿哥
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	阿哥
	Huiyang	阿哥
	Huidong (Daling)	阿哥
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	阿哥
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	阿哥
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	阿哥
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	阿哥
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	阿哥
	Wuhua (Changbu)	阿哥
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	阿哥
	Wuhua (Meilin)	阿哥
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	阿哥
	Wengyuan	阿哥
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	哥哥
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	阿哥
	Liannan	阿哥
	Conghua (Lütian)	阿哥
	Jiexi	阿哥, 哥
	Luhe	阿哥
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	阿哥
	Changting	老伯
	Wuping	老伯
	Wuping (Yanqian)	老伯哩
	Wuping (Pingyu)	哥
	Liancheng	老伯
	Ninghua	老伯
	Yudu	哥哥, 老伯
	Ningdu	哥哥
	Ruijin	哥哥, 老兄
	Shicheng	老伯
	Shangyou (Shexi)	老伯
	Tonggu (Sandu)	哥哥
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	老伯
	Dayu	哥哥
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	阿哥
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	阿哥
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	阿哥
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	阿哥
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	阿哥
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	阿哥
	Hong Kong	阿哥
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	阿哥
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	阿哥
	Xinyi (Sihe)	大佬
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	阿哥, 大佬
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	阿哥
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	阿哥
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	阿哥
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	阿哥
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	阿哥, 大哥
	Mengshan (Xihe)	哥
	Luchuan	哥
	Sabah (Bao'an)	阿哥
	Sabah (Longchuan)	阿哥
	Senai (Huiyang)	阿哥
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	阿哥
	Singkawang	阿哥
Huizhou	Jixi	哥哥
Jin	Taiyuan	哥哥, 哥
Min Bei	Jian'ou	哥仔, 哥哥
Min Dong	Fuzhou	依哥
	Fuqing	哥, 阿哥
	Matsu	依哥
	Singapore (Fuqing)	阿哥
Min Nan	Xiamen	阿兄, 阿哥, 兄哥, 俺兄
	Quanzhou	阿兄
	Jinjiang	大兄
	Yongchun	阿哥, 哥, 阿兄, 兄
	Dehua	阿兄
	Zhangzhou	阿兄, 咉兄 <>
	Zhao'an	兄, 阿兄
	Taipei	阿兄
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	阿兄
	Kaohsiung	兄哥
	Yilan	阿兄
	Changhua (Lukang)	阿兄
	Taichung	大兄
	Taichung (Wuqi)	阿兄
	Tainan	阿哥, 兄哥, 兄哥仔
	Taitung	大兄
	Hsinchu	阿兄
	Kinmen	阿兄
	Penghu (Magong)	阿兄
	Penang (Hokkien)	阿哥, 哥, 哥哥
	Singapore (Hokkien)	阿兄, 大兄
	Manila (Hokkien)	阿兄, 哥仔 archaic
	Chaozhou	阿兄
	Shantou	阿兄
	Jieyang	阿兄
	Bangkok (Teochew)	阿兄
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	阿兄
	Singapore (Teochew)	阿兄
	Leizhou	兄 ><, 尼兄 <>
	Wenchang	阿哥
	Haikou	阿兄 ><, 阿哥 ><, 兄 <>
	Singapore (Hainanese)	阿哥
Puxian Min	Putian	阿兄
Puxian Min	Xianyou	阿兄
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	阿哥
Wu	Shanghai	阿哥, 哥哥
	Shanghai (Chongming)	阿哥
	Suzhou	阿哥
	Danyang	哥哥
	Hangzhou	阿哥, 哥哥
	Ningbo	哥哥, 阿哥
	Wenzhou	阿大, 哥哥
	Jinhua	哥哥 ><, 哥 <>
Xiang	Changsha	老兄, 哥哥
Xiang	Shuangfeng	老兄, 哥哥
Note	>< - face-to-face; <> - non-face-to-face

Compounds

Derived terms from 哥

二哥 (èrgē)
二哥大
伴哥
佛朗哥 (Fólǎnggē)
八哥 (bāgē)
叫哥哥
哥哥 (gēge)
哥子
哥德式 (gēdéshì)
哥白尼 (Gēbáiní)
哥舒翰
堂哥 (tánggē)
墨西哥 (Mòxīgē)
墨西哥城 (Mòxīgēchéng)
大哥 (dàgē)
大哥大 (dàgēdà)
大拇哥 (dàmǔgē)
大阿哥
奴哥
安哥拉 (Āngēlā)
安哥拉兔 (āngēlā tù)
安童哥
小二哥
小哥 (xiǎogē)
挑大拇哥
摩洛哥 (Móluògē)
斑哥

木伴哥
柏青哥 (bóqīnggē)
歪哥 (wāigē)
波哥大 (Bōgēdà)
特哥大
老哥 (lǎogē)
老哥哥
老大哥 (lǎodàgē)
耶律休哥
胖哥
芝加哥 (Zhījiāgē)
蒙哥 (Ménggē)
表哥 (biǎogē)
袍哥
酷哥
阿三哥
阿兵哥 (ābīnggē)
阿哥 (āgē)
阿哥哥 (āgēgē)
鼻哥
也麼哥／也么哥
佛來明哥／佛来明哥
公子哥兒／公子哥儿 (gōngzǐgēr)
哥倆好／哥俩好
哥們兒／哥们儿 (gēmenr)
哥倫布／哥伦布 (Gēlúnbù)

哥倫比亞／哥伦比亚 (Gēlúnbǐyà)
哥兒／哥儿 (gēr)
哥兒倆／哥儿俩 (gēr liǎ)
哥兒們／哥儿们 (gērmen)
哥兒大爺／哥儿大爷
哥窯／哥窑
哥老會／哥老会 (Gēlǎohuì)
哥薩克／哥萨克 (gēsàkè)
墨西哥灣／墨西哥湾 (Mòxīgē Wān)
嬌哥兒／娇哥儿
小哥兒們／小哥儿们 (xiǎogērmen)
布爾哥尼／布尔哥尼
帥哥／帅哥 (shuàigē)
師哥／师哥
愛八哥兒／爱八哥儿
摩納哥／摩纳哥 (Mónàgē)
溫哥華／温哥华 (Wēngēhuá)
牽豬哥／牵猪哥
老哥兒倆／老哥儿俩
老哥兒們／老哥儿们
聖地牙哥／圣地牙哥 (Shèngdìyágē)
膝頭哥／膝头哥
蒙哥馬利／蒙哥马利 (Ménggēmǎlì)
鐵哥們／铁哥们
鸚哥／鹦哥 (yīnggē)
鸚哥綠／鹦哥绿 (yīnggēlǜ)

Descendants

→ Thai: โก (goo, “older brother”) (said by Chinese race)
Tagalog: Kuya meaning “older brother”, “sir” or a honorific to refer to older men

Japanese

Kanji

哥

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

kanji used to transliterate borrowings from foreign languages
sing, singing
elder brother

Readings

Go-on: か (ka)
Kan-on: か (ka)
Tō-on: こ (ko)
Kun: うた (uta, 哥); うたう (utau, 哥う)^{←うたふ (utafu, historical)}

Compounds

哥(うた)沢(ざわ) (utazawa)
哥(か)窯(よう) (Kayō)
哥(か)老(ろう)会(かい) (Karōkai)
哥里米(クリム)汗(ハン)国(こく) (Kurimu Han-koku)
鸚(いん)哥(こ) (inko)
哥(コ)倫(ロン)比(ビ)亜(ア) (Koronbia)
八(ハッ)哥(カ)鳥(チョウ) (hakkachō), 哥(は)哥(は)鳥(ちょう) (hahachō)
墨(メキ)西(シ)哥(コ) (Mekishiko)

Korean

Hanja

哥 (eumhun 성씨 가 (seongssi ga))

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

哥: Hán Nôm readings: ca, kha

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.