The character 友 — “friend”: how to write it and what it means
friend
The Chinese character 友 is read yǒu and means “friend”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 友
友 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 友, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 友 is made of
In 朋友 it is read with the neutral tone: you.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 友
- 朋友friendHSK 1
- 男朋友boyfriendHSK 1
- 女朋友girlfriendHSK 1
- 小朋友little kidHSK 1
- 友谊friendshipHSK 4
- 友情friendship (feeling)HSK 4
- 网友online friend, netizenHSK 4
- 友好friendlyHSK 4
- 亲朋好友family and friendsHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 友?
友 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 友 mean?
友 means “friend”. It appears in 朋友 (“friend”), 男朋友 (“boyfriend”), 女朋友 (“girlfriend”), 小朋友 (“little kid”).
How do you pronounce 友?
友 is read yǒu. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 友 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 友 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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