友 (yǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “friend”. It is written from 𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 又 (again), one enclosing the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “friend”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𠂇 + 又
Enclosing structure
Structure from: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3–4 笔构成 又)
Memory aid
Two parts that are really in this character: 𠂇 comes down from above and 又 reaches up from below. Two hands clasped — that is a friend.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 朋友péng yǒufriend友 = yǒuspoken aspéng youHSK 1
- 友好yǒu hǎofriendly; amicable友 = yǒuspoken asyóu hǎo
- 友邦yǒu bāngfriendly nation; allied state友 = yǒu
- 友谊yǒu yìfriendship友 = yǒu
- 小朋友xiǎo péng yǒuchild; kid (friendly address for a young child)友 = yǒuspoken asxiǎo péng youHSK 2
- 挚友zhì yǒuclose friend; bosom friend友 = yǒu
Go deeper
All readings
friend
friend; companion; friendly
朋友；有交情的人。也表示亲近和睦。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 朋友péng yǒufriend友 = yǒuspoken aspéng youHSK 1
- 友好yǒu hǎofriendly; amicable友 = yǒuspoken asyóu hǎo
- 友邦yǒu bāngfriendly nation; allied state友 = yǒu
- 友谊yǒu yìfriendship友 = yǒu
- 小朋友xiǎo péng yǒuchild; kid (friendly address for a young child)友 = yǒuspoken asxiǎo péng youHSK 2
- 挚友zhì yǒuclose friend; bosom friend友 = yǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 友 mean?
友 (yǒu) means friend; companion; friendly.
How do you pronounce 友?
It is pronounced yǒu.
What parts is 友 made of?
𠂇 (the 'ナ' shape: a horizontal stroke crossed by a falling-left stroke) and 又 (again), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 𠂇，第 3–4 笔构成 又). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 友 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 友?
又. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 友?
Common ones are 朋友 and 友好. The reading of 友 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.