友 yǒu — friend
他是我最好的朋友。Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péng you.He is my best friend.
Common words: 朋友 (péng you)、女朋友 (nǚ péng you)、男朋友 (nán péng you)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "friend"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "friend", including 友 (yǒu), 朋 (péng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "friend" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 友 (yǒu), 朋 (péng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yǒu, péng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 友 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 友 yǒufriendUseful words: 朋友, 女朋友
- 朋 péngfriendUseful words: 朋友, 女朋友
Common words for these 2 "friend" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 友 (yǒu) — so "friend" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "friend".
朋 péng — friend
我有很多好朋友。Wǒ yǒu hěn duō hǎo péng you.I have many good friends.
Common words: 朋友 (péng you)、女朋友 (nǚ péng you)、男朋友 (nán péng you)
All 2 characters
Open 友、朋 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.