友
友 — Friend
friend
On’yomiユウ (yuu)
Kun’yomiとも (tomo)
Stroke order (4 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 友
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 友人 | ゆうじん yuujin | friend |
| 友好 | ゆうこう yuukou | friendship |
| 友 | とも tomo | friend; companion; comrade |
| 友達 | ともだち tomodachi | friend; companion |
| 友情 | ゆうじょう yuujou | friendship; fellowship; camaraderie |
| 血友病 | けつゆうびょう ketsuyuubyou | hemophilia; haemophilia |
Study notes
友 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #622 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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