哥兒 / 哥儿
gēr
The English word 'buddy' can be translated into Chinese as 哥兒 / 哥儿 (gēr) or 伙伴.
Meaning: friend or casual acquaintance (pron)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 哥兒 / 哥儿 | gēr |
| 伙伴 | huǒbàn |
Terms like 哥们 are popular among males to address each other as buddies or pals. Other friendly ways to address a buddy include 兄弟, which is used in an informal and friendly manner and 老兄, which translates to 'old buddy' and is used among close friends or people with a long history of friendship.
What does it mean word for word?
The root character in 哥兒 / 哥儿 is 哥, which literally means 'older brother'. It is used metaphorically here to denote closeness.
How do you pronounce it?
gēr
Did you know?
- The character 伙 in 伙伴 refers to a 'cooking fire' because military units in the Northern Wei dynasty were organized by those who shared a single stove.
- While 哥们 is the go-to word for 'buddies' among males, using it to address a woman can be a deliberate way to signal a 'one of the guys' bond of friendship.
- In Northern China, adding the 'erhua' sound to create 哥兒 transforms a formal kinship term into a cozy and affectionate term for a pal.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “buddy” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 伙伴, CC BY-SA 4.0.
