朋友 meaning in English

péngyou

friend

HSK 1noun12 strokes

Meaning of 朋友

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

péngyou

friend

Measure word: 個|个,位

How to use 朋友

朋友 is the everyday word for friend and is used for both men and women. It also forms words like 男朋友 (nánpéngyou, boyfriend) and 女朋友 (nǚpéngyou, girlfriend). Example: 他是我的好朋友。(Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.) He is my good friend.

朋 (péng) looks like two moons 月 standing side by side, like two people walking together. Add 友 (yǒu), which also means friend, and you get two ways of saying friend in one word.

Common mistake: The second syllable is usually neutral tone, so say péngyou, not péngyǒu with a full third tone. Also, 女朋友 means girlfriend in a romantic sense, so for a female friend who is not a partner, say 女性朋友 or just 朋友.

朋友 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ大dà前qián年nián死sǐ了le个gè朋péng友yǒu。

Three years ago, a friend of mine died.

他tā是shì我wǒ其qí中zhōng一yí个gè最zuì要yào好hǎo的de朋péng友yǒu。

He is one of my best friends.

我wǒ喜xǐ欢huān她tā，但dàn她tā说shuō我wǒ们men只zhǐ是shì朋péng友yǒu。

I love her, but she says we are just friends.

他tā是shì我wǒ的de一yī位wèi老lǎo朋péng友yǒu。

He's my old friend.

我wǒ以yǐ为wéi你nǐ是shì我wǒ的de朋péng友yǒu。

I thought you were my friend.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

朋 péng · friend · 8 strokes

友 yǒu · friend · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 朋友.

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
好友	hǎoyǒu	close friend; pal
友谊	yǒuyì	companionship; fellowship
战友	zhànyǒu	comrade-in-arms; battle companion
友善	yǒushàn	friendly

Questions about 朋友

What does 朋友 mean?

朋友 (péngyou) means "friend" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 朋友?

朋友 is made of 2 characters: 朋 (8 strokes), 友 (4 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.

Is 朋友 an HSK word?

Yes. 朋友 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do I say 'my friend' in Chinese: 我朋友 or 我的朋友?

Both are correct. 我的朋友 (wǒ de péngyou) is the full form, while 我朋友 (wǒ péngyou) is common in casual speech because the relationship is close.

What does 小朋友 mean if it has 朋友 in it?

小朋友 (xiǎopéngyǒu) means child or kid, not little friend. Adults often use it to address children politely, like saying 'kids' in English.