Word
友達
Meaning in Englishfriend
Animated kanji stroke order
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.
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
Kanji