The word "哥们" is formed by combining the character "哥", which means "older brother" and is often used informally to address a male friend, with the character "们", a plural suffix that indicates multiple individuals. This fusion creates a compound term that literally signifies "brothers" but is commonly employed in casual contexts to refer to a close-knit group of male friends, encapsulating a sense of camaraderie and familial bond through the straightforward juxtaposition of its components.