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How to say 'Friend' in Japanese | 友

Wondering how to say 'Friend' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Friend is 'Tomo', written as 友 in Japanese.'Friend' in hiragana is とも.

    word

    Meaning

    Friend

    Reading

    とも

    tomo

    Kanji

    Friend

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '友 (とも)' means 'friend'. It is a somewhat literary or formal term for a friend, often used in written language or in formal speech. It can also be used in compound words, such as '友人 (ゆうじん)' (friend) or '親友 (しんゆう)' (close friend). Example sentences: He is my friend「彼は私の友です」(かれはわたしのともです). We have been friends since childhood「私たちは子供の頃からの友です」(わたしたちはこどものころからのともです). Note that '友 (とも)' is less commonly used in casual conversation compared to '友達 (ともだち)', which is the more everyday term for 'friend'.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N5

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    4585

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Friend

Words Related to Through the Kanji

These 4 Words contain the Kanji 友 as well.

  • word

    友達

    Meaning

    Friend

  • word

    友人

    Meaning

    Friend

  • word

    友情

    Meaning

    Friendship

  • word

    親友

    Meaning

    Best friend

Learn the Word

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What does 'Tomo' (友) mean?

'Tomo' means 'Friend' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.