兄 (xiōng) is a Chinese character meaning “elder brother”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 儿 (child; legs), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “elder brother”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 儿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：口 3 笔 + 儿 2 笔）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) standing on a pair of legs (儿): the one who does the talking for the younger kids — the elder brother.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 兄弟xiōng dìbrothers; siblings (brothers)兄 = xiōng
- 兄长xiōng zhǎngelder brother (respectful form of address)兄 = xiōng
Go deeper
All readings
elder brother
elder brother; a respectful term for an older male peer
哥哥；也用作对同辈男性的敬称。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 兄弟xiōng dìbrothers; siblings (brothers)兄 = xiōng
- 兄长xiōng zhǎngelder brother (respectful form of address)兄 = xiōng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 兄 mean?
兄 (xiōng) means elder brother; a respectful term for an older male peer.
How do you pronounce 兄?
It is pronounced xiōng.
What parts is 兄 made of?
口 (mouth) and 儿 (child; legs), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 5 笔核验：口 3 笔 + 儿 2 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 兄 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 兄?
儿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 兄?
Common ones are 兄弟 and 兄长. The reading of 兄 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.