A cord or leather strap wrapped in successive loops around a rod, marking order and sequence. Younger brother; a junior male sibling or someone lower in age, rank, or sequence. Bow-shaped loops bound around a vertical rod, with two small ticks on top marking the junior one in line.
In modern Mandarin, 弟 is bound and rarely used alone; the reduplicated form 弟弟 is the standard word for 'younger brother'.
English speakers might call a younger brother '弟' directly, but Chinese requires the full form 弟弟 when addressing or referring to him.
弟 means 'younger brother'; 第 is a prefix for ordinal numbers like 第一 (first).
Both characters are pronounced dì and look similar, but they have completely different functions. 弟 is a noun meaning 'younger brother' and appears in family terms. 第 is a bound morpheme used before numbers to form ordinals, as in 第一 (first), 第二 (second).
| Dimension | 弟 | 第 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | younger brother | ordinal prefix |
| Usage | family term (弟弟, 兄弟) | before numbers (第一, 第二) |
| Example | 我弟弟想读书。 | 这是我第一次来中国。 |
No, in modern Mandarin 弟 is almost always bound and needs a suffix or prefix, like 弟弟 or 表弟.
While 弟 appears in many compound words, it is not used by itself as a free word in everyday speech. To say 'younger brother', you must use 弟弟. Similarly, for cousins, you need 表弟 or 堂弟. Using bare 弟 sounds incomplete or overly literary.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Referring to younger brother | 我弟弟 | 我弟 |
| Addressing younger brother | 弟弟，来吃饭！ | 弟，来吃饭！ |
| Cousin (maternal) | 表弟 | 弟 |
This playful rhyme helps you learn family words in Chinese. Practice saying who's who with simple questions and answers!
那个小孩子是 我弟 。
哥哥和 弟弟 ，姐姐和妹妹也是我家人，也是好朋友。
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
弟弟 想读书。
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