(péng you) - friend in Mandarin

péngyou

Traditional: 朋友

HSK 1

#142 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

friend

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Word origin

朋友 (péng you) pairs two near-synonyms. 朋 (péng) once depicted two strings of cowrie shells of equal value and so meant a peer or companion, while 友 (yǒu) shows two right hands side by side, an image of friendship and cooperation. Together they mean 'friend'.

Origin: compound
Root: 朋 (péng, companion) + 友 (yǒu, friend)

Stroke order

朋

友

Examples

。

He is my best friend.

。

I went out with friends.

？

Do you have any Chinese friends?

。

I have many good friends.

。

At the weekend I climb mountains with friends.

朋友 (péng you) means friend. It is used as a noun in everyday Mandarin speech.

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Used in

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(17)

Grammar articles

(22)

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Mandarin · Free printables

朋友: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "朋友" (friend): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

This word is taught in chapter 4, lesson 4: 朋友, 中, 然后 and 7 more words.