友 — Kanji Reference

友 (friend): 4 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ユウ. Kun: とも.

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友

Property Value
Meaning friend
Strokes 4
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ユウ
Kun-reading (訓読み) とも
Radical 又 (mata - "again/also") [U+53C8]

Stroke Order

The kanji 友 is written in 4 strokes following the standard top-to-bottom, left-to-right rule:

  1. Stroke 1: The horizontal line at the top (left to right).
  2. Stroke 2: The diagonal line starting from the center of the first stroke, sweeping down to the left.
  3. Stroke 3: The horizontal stroke of the bottom radical (又).
  4. Stroke 4: The diagonal stroke of the bottom radical, ending with a slight hook (harai).

Radical Analysis

The kanji 友 consists of two parts:

  • Top part: A horizontal line and a diagonal stroke, representing two hands reaching out.
  • Radical (又): Meaning "again" or "also."
  • Combined Meaning: The character depicts two right hands reaching out to grasp each other, symbolizing the bond of friendship—people who help each other "again and again."

Mnemonic

Imagine two people reaching out their right hands to shake hands. The top part is the arms reaching out, and the bottom part (又) is the hands meeting. Friends are people who are always there to lend a hand!

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ユウ (Yū)

Word Reading Romaji English
友人 ゆうじん yūjin friend
友情 ゆうじょう yūjō friendship
親友 しんゆう shin'yū best friend
友好 ゆうこう yūkō friendship/amity

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

とも (Tomo)

Word Reading Romaji English
友達 ともだち tomodachi friend
友だち ともだち tomodachi friend (common spelling)

JLPT N5 Words Using 友

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
友達 ともだち tomodachi friend N5
友人 ゆうじん yūjin friend N4
親友 しんゆう shin'yū best friend N3
友情 ゆうじょう yūjō friendship N3
友好 ゆうこう yūkō friendship N2
友愛 ゆうあい yūai fraternity/brotherly love N2
悪友 あくゆう akuyū bad company/bad friend N2
友だち ともだち tomodachi friend N5

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
友達と遊びます。 ともだちとあそびます。 Tomodachi to asobimasu. I will hang out with my friend.
彼は私の親友です。 かれはわたしのしんゆうです。 Kare wa watashi no shin'yū desu. He is my best friend.
友情は大切です。 ゆうじょうはたいせつです。 Yūjō wa taisetsu desu. Friendship is important.
友人と映画を見ました。 ゆうじんとえいがをみました。 Yūjin to eiga o mimashita. I watched a movie with a friend.
多くの友人がいます。 おおくのゆうじんがいます。 Ōku no yūjin ga imasu. I have many friends.
友好関係を築く。 ゆうこうかんけいをきずく。 Yūkō kankei o kizuku. To build a friendly relationship.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
友 とも friend Has the radical 又 (hand) at the bottom.
反 ハン anti/oppose The top part is different; it has a "cliff" radical (厂) and a different base.
及 キュウ reach/extend The right side is a different stroke shape (a hook).

Usage Frequency Note

友 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in both speech and writing. While tomodachi (友達) is the most common way to say "friend" in casual conversation, the on-reading yū (ユウ) is very common in formal writing, compound nouns, and abstract concepts like yūjō (友情 - friendship). It is one of the first kanji learned by students in elementary school.