Friend in Japanese: 友達 (tomodachi) and other words about friendship
Friend in Japanese is 友達 (tomodachi). A close friend is 親友 (shin'yū), a comrade in a common cause is 仲間 (nakama). The character 友 (tomo) means 'friend' by itself, 達 adds plurality. Be careful: 友達 does not indicate gender or number — it can mean 'friend', 'girlfriend', or 'friends'.
The Japanese word 友達 hides a quirk: 達 is a plural suffix, so literally it means 'friends'. But it is also used for a single person. The language seems to remind us that friendship is not a unit, but a connection.
How to say 'friend' in Japanese
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 友達 | tomodachi · tomodati | Friend, girlfriend, friends |
| 親友 | shin'yū · shin'yū | Close, intimate friend |
| 仲間 | nakama · nakama | Comrade, one of us, ally (the famous 'nakama' from One Piece) |
| 友 | tomo · tomo | Friend (literary, in names) |
| 同僚 | dōryō · dōryō | Colleague |
| 幼なじみ | osananajimi · osananajimi | Childhood friend |
Tomodachi, shin'yū and nakama — what's the difference
友達 is a regular friend, a wide circle. 親友 is the one, one or two in a lifetime: the character 親 means 'related, close'. 仲間 is not about feelings, but about a common cause: a team, colleagues, companions in adventure. That's why in One Piece it's 仲間, not 友達.
How people talk about friendship in everyday life
- 'We are friends' — 友達です (tomodachi desu). No need to mark plural separately.
- 'Let's be friends' sounds like 友達になろう (tomodachi ni narō) — 'let's become friends'.
- It's not customary to address someone as 友達: you call them by name with a suffix.
- 友達 has no gender, so the phrase 'this is my friend' about a girl sounds exactly the same — 私の友達です.
The character 友 in names
友 often appears in names: 友子 (Tomoko), 友美 (Tomomi), 友也 (Tomoya). Parents put a wish for friendliness into them — similar to Russian names meaning 'peace' or 'light'.
Say 'tomodachi' out loud
Four even syllables: to-mo-da-chi, without stress.
FAQ
- How do you say 'friend' in Japanese?
- 友達 (tomodachi). The word does not distinguish gender or number: it means 'friend', 'girlfriend', or 'friends'.
- How do you say 'best friend'?
- 親友 (shin'yū) — close, intimate friend. The character 親 means 'related', so the word implies almost family-like closeness.
- What does 'nakama' from anime mean?
- 仲間 — a comrade in a common cause: a team, crew, allies. It's not about personal attachment, but about belonging to a group.
- How to propose friendship in Japanese?
- 友達になろう (tomodachi ni narō) — 'let's become friends', informal. Polite: 友達になりませんか (tomodachi ni narimasen ka).
Updated: 2026-07-25