朋 (péng) is a Chinese character meaning “friend”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 月 (moon; month), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “friend”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 月
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS ⿰月月 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 4+4=8 核验一致。仅描述现代字形，两个 月 的来源未确认
Memory aid
Two 月 shapes standing side by side, exactly the same height — neither one in front, neither one behind. That is a friend.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 朋友péng yǒufriend朋 = péngspoken aspéng youHSK 1
- 小朋友xiǎo péng yǒuchild; kid (friendly address for a young child)朋 = péngspoken asxiǎo péng youHSK 2
Go deeper
All readings
friend
friend; companion
朋友；同伴。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 朋友péng yǒufriend朋 = péngspoken aspéng youHSK 1
- 小朋友xiǎo péng yǒuchild; kid (friendly address for a young child)朋 = péngspoken asxiǎo péng youHSK 2
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 朋 mean?
朋 (péng) means friend; companion.
How do you pronounce 朋?
It is pronounced péng.
What parts is 朋 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 月 (moon; month), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰月月 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数 4+4=8 核验一致。仅描述现代字形，两个 月 的来源未确认. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 朋 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 朋?
月. 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 朋?
Common ones are 朋友 and 小朋友. The reading of 朋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.