# How to say “bro” in Chinese

> The mildest way to say “bro” in Chinese is 朋友 (péng you), “friend”. The strongest is 死党 (sǐ dǎng), “ride or die (lit. death party)”. Here are all 5, ranked mild to strong, with pinyin and when to use each one.

Source: https://lanlanchinese.com/how-to-say/bro-in-chinese (updated 2026-10-18)

1. **朋友** (péng you) (strength 1/5): friend. Safe. A bit formal for your actual bro.
   Heard in a real video: 然后我跟我的朋友说。 "Then I tell my friends," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C366hnsI8UI&t=133s)
2. **兄弟** (xiōng dì) (strength 2/5): brother / bro. "兄弟, help me move this weekend".
   Heard in a real video: 兄弟，我们领导都杀到了。 ""Brother, even our boss came running."" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvZ0kTYWWTk&t=340s)
   Heard in a real video: 恭喜获胜的好兄弟们。 "Congrats to my brothers who won." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFA0MT5JA4&t=42s)
3. **哥们** (gē men) (strength 3/5): dude / buddy. The everyday one. Very northern, very casual.
   Heard in a real video: 哥们，你啥意思， "Bro, what gives? We agreed on a mid-door sniper duel." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMAOfjzIgqE&t=24s)
   Heard in a real video: 这哥们完全上了头。 "The guy was totally hooked." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oTWltHxaY&t=737s)
4. **老铁** (lǎo tiě) (strength 4/5): bro (lit. old iron). Internet slang. A friendship as solid as iron.
   Character by character: 老 = old, 铁 = iron.
5. **死党** (sǐ dǎng) (strength 5/5): ride or die (lit. death party). The one who helps you hide the body.
   Character by character: 死 = death, 党 = party / gang.

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