友達

Meaning in English

friend

Stroke order

Animated kanji stroke order

友

Illustrated Dictionary

Sentence

Related sentences

N4 友達が手伝ってくれたおかげで早く終わった Tomodachi ga tetsudatte kureta okage de hayaku owatta Thanks to my friend’s help I finished quickly N4 週末に友達と映画を見る予定です。 Shuumatsu ni tomodachi to eiga o miru yotei desu. I plan to watch a movie with a friend on the weekend. N5 友達に日本語を教えてもらいました。 Tomodachi ni nihongo o oshiete moraimashita. A friend taught me Japanese. N5 友達に手伝ってもらいました。 Tomodachi ni tetsudatte moraimashita. A friend helped me. N4 友達が駅まで案内してくれました。 Tomodachi ga eki made annai shite kuremashita. A friend guided me to the station. N4 私は友達に呼ばれました。 Watashi wa tomodachi ni yobaremashita. I was called by a friend. N5 駅で友達に会いました。 Eki de tomodachi ni aimashita. I met a friend at the station. N5 友達が宿題を手伝ってくれました Tomodachi ga shukudai o tetsudatte kuremashita My friend helped me with homework N4 今、友達と話しています。 Ima tomodachi to hanashite imasu. I am talking with a friend now.

Dictionary

Word context

What it means

What does 友達 mean? It denotes a friend—a person you have a friendly relationship with and choose to spend time with. In everyday Japanese, it can refer to a single close friend or a small circle of friends, typically used in casual contexts.

Main meanings

Casual term for a friend or close acquaintance; widely used in everyday speech
Can indicate multiple friends when the context implies plurality

How to use it

Used in casual conversation, social media, and informal writing to refer to a friend or a small group of friends. It contrasts with 友人, which is more formal or written; in contexts like school or among peers, 友達 is common; ownership and relationships are shown with 私の or 君の before the noun.

Variants and close terms

友人 (yuujin) — formal or literate term for a friend
知人 (chijin) — acquaintance
仲間 (nakama) — companion or member of a group

Composition

友: core meaning is friendship and social connection
達: serves as a plural/collective suffix here, often read たち (tachi); together they convey 'friends' or a circle of friends

Word class

Noun (名詞)

Word

Related words by kanji and components

N1 伝達 dentatsu transmission (e.g., news, communication, delivery) N1 到達 toutatsu reaching, attaining, arrival N1 達者 tassha skillful, in good health N1 達成 tassei achievement N2 速達 sokutatsu express, special delivery N3 上達 joutatsu improvement, progress, skill advancement N3 親友 shinyuu close friend, best friend N3 友好 yuukou friendship, friendly relations N3 友情 yuujou friendship, fellowship

Kanji