哥

Tap the pinyin to hear it

elder brother

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

One person talking 可 over another 可

Components 可 ×2

older brother · Heisig RSH #93

可 can

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
哥哥	gē ge	older brother; CL:個\|个[ge4],位[wei4]
加拉巴哥斯	Jiā lā bā gē sī	Galapagos
公子哥儿	gōng zǐ gē r	pampered son of a wealthy family
特立尼达和多巴哥	Tè lì ní dá hé Duō bā gē	Trinidad and Tobago
格拉斯哥	Gé lā sī gē	Glasgow, Scotland
大哥大	dà gē dà	cell phone (bulky, early-model one); brick phone; mob boss
哥林多后书	Gē lín duō Hòu shū	Second Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians
加拉巴哥斯群岛	Jiā lā bā gē sī Qún dǎo	Galapagos Islands
哥斯拉	Gē sī lā	Godzilla
哥林多前书	Gē lín duō qián shū	First epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians
千里达和多巴哥	Qiān lǐ dá hé Duō bā gē	Trinidad and Tobago
哥特人	Gē tè rén	Goth (member of a historical East Germanic people)
安哥拉	Ān gē lā	Angola
平头哥	píng tóu gē	(slang) honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
斯哥特	Sī gē tè	Scott (name)
老大哥	lǎo dà gē	big brother
哥利亚	Gē lì yà	Goliath
哥老会	Gē lǎo huì	late-Qing underground resistance movement against the Qing dynasty
波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那共和国	Bō sī ní yà hé Hēi sài gē wéi nà Gòng hé guó	Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995), wartime predecessor of the state of Bosnia…
圣地亚哥	Shèng dì yà gē	Santiago, capital of Chile; San Diego, California

These characters use 哥 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
哥 sound part	gē	elder brother
歌	gē	song, lyrics; to sing, to chant