友

Tap the pinyin to hear it

friend

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

Two hands 又 joined, representing friendship; 又 also provides the pronunciation

Components 又 ? unknown part

friend · Heisig RSH #635

by one’s side + crotch

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
网友	wǎng yǒu	online friend; netizen; Internet user
小朋友	xiǎo péng yǒu	child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to…
女朋友	nǚ péng you	girlfriend
男朋友	nán péng you	boyfriend
朋友	péng you	friend; CL:個\|个[ge4],位[wei4]
教友大会	jiào yǒu dà huì	church conference
中国人民对外友好协会	Zhōng guó Rén mín Duì wài Yǒu hǎo Xié huì	Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)
自然之友	Zì rán zhī Yǒu	Friends of Nature (Chinese environmental NGO)
友好区	Yǒu hǎo Qū	Youhao, a district of Yichun City 伊春市[Yi1 chun1 Shi4], Heilongjiang
血友病	xuè yǒu bìng	hemophilia
友人	yǒu rén	friend
学友	xué yǒu	schoolmate; classmate
前女友	qián nǚ yǒu	ex-girlfriend
会友	huì yǒu	to make friends; to meet friends; member of the same organization
面友	miàn yǒu	to put on a friendly face
工友	gōng yǒu	odd-job worker (janitor, groundsman etc) at a school or government office; (old) worker; f…
老友	lǎo yǒu	old friend; sb who passed the county level imperial exam (in Ming dynasty)
病友	bìng yǒu	a friend made in hospital or people who become friends in hospital; wardmate
色友	sè yǒu	photography enthusiast; friend with benefits
竹马之友	zhú mǎ zhī yǒu	see 竹馬之交\|竹马之交[zhu2 ma3 zhi1 jiao1]