Meaning of 战友
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- comrade-in-arms
- battle companion
How to use 战友
战友 most often refers to soldiers who served together, but people also use it for teammates or coworkers who went through a hard project or struggle together. Example: 他们是二十年的老战友。(Tāmen shì èrshí nián de lǎo zhànyǒu.) They have been comrades-in-arms for twenty years.
战 (zhàn) means war or battle, and 友 (yǒu) means friend, the same 友 you see in 朋友 (péngyou). A 战友 is a friend you made while fighting side by side.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 站 (zhàn, to stand) instead of 战 (zhàn, war) because they sound the same. 战 has the 戈 (weapon) part on the right, which fits the meaning of battle.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
战 zhàn · war · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
友 yǒu · friend · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 战友.
| 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
| 女朋友 | nǚpéngyou | girlfriend |
| 男朋友 | nánpéngyou | boyfriend |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 网友 | wǎngyǒu | online friend; netizen; Internet user |
| 朋友们 | péngyoumen | |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péngyou | old friend; (slang) period |
| 友好 | yǒuhǎo | friendly; amicable; close friend |
| 交朋友 | jiāo péngyou | to make friends; (dialect) to start an affair with sb |
| 战争 | zhànzhēng | war; conflict |
| 战斗 | zhàndòu | to fight; to engage in combat |
| 挑战 | tiǎozhàn | to challenge; to take on a challenge; a challenge |
Questions about 战友
What does 战友 mean?
战友 (zhànyǒu) means "comrade-in-arms; battle companion" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 战友?
战友 is made of 2 characters: 战 (9 strokes), 友 (4 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 战友 an HSK word?
Yes. 战友 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 战友 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 战友 is written 戰友.
Can I call my teammates or colleagues 战友?
Yes, in casual or warm speech people use 战友 for teammates, classmates studying for exams together, or coworkers on a tough project. It adds a feeling of shared hardship and loyalty.
What is the difference between 战友 and 同志 (tóngzhì)?
战友 stresses a personal bond formed by fighting or struggling together. 同志 means comrade in a political sense, someone who shares the same cause, and in modern slang it can also mean a gay person, so it is used more carefully today.