弟 — “younger brother” in Japanese

Grade 2てい, だい, おとうと

Radical ⼸ · radical 57 The building block this kanji is filed under

“younger brother” in Japanese is 弟, read tei, dai, otouto (てい, だい, おとうと). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 兄弟 (brothers/siblings).

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What does 弟 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	弟
Meaning	younger brother
Readings	てい, だい, おとうと
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	兄弟 (brothers/siblings)

How to read 弟

弟 is read tei (てい) or dai (だい) or otouto (おとうと) depending on the word.

Words with 弟

兄弟

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Kanji read the same way as 弟

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28