How to Write 兄 (xiōng) — Meaning “elder brother”

Imagine an elder brother standing on two legs (儿) and shouting loudly with a big mouth (口) to scold his younger siblings. The mouth on legs creates a clear image of the character.

The top part is three strokes: vertical, horizontal, horizontal — do not add a bottom stroke to make a full mouth box. The bottom is the two strokes of 儿: left-falling then horizontal bending. A common mistake is writing the top as a complete square with four sides.

兄 has a mouth-like top (口), while 兀 has a flat horizontal line on top (一) and 允 has a slanted top (厶). In meaning, 兄 means elder brother; 兀 is a rare character for a mountain peak; 允 means allow or fair.

兄 appears mainly in words like 兄弟 (brothers) and 兄长 (elder brother), and in respectful address such as 兄台 (a polite way to call a male friend or colleague). In Chinese culture, the elder brother is traditionally seen as a leader and protector in the family.

Common words containing 兄 include: 兄弟 (xiōng dì) — brothers; younger brother; 兄长 (xiōng zhǎng) — elder brother; 堂兄 (táng xiōng) — older male cousin (paternal).