Friend in Japanese: tomodachi or yuujin, explained in detail

How to say “friend” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would use the word, “tomodachi”, to say “friend” in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also I will explain how it is different from the similar word, “yuujin”. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “tomodachi”
• “Tomodachi” in Kanji
• Example #1: how to say “friend” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “yuujin”
• “Yuujin” in Kanji
• Example #2: how to use “friend” in a formal way in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “tomodachi”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “tomodachi”.

• tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘friends’.

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji expression in detail.

“Tomodachi” in Kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “tomodachi”.

• 友 : a kanji character often used to mean ‘friend’ in Japanese. This kanji can be used alone to say “friend” in Japanese, but it gives us an old-fashioned impression.
• 達 : a suffix put after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tomodachi” is literally a plural form of “friend” in Japanese. Originally, it was. Japanese native speakers used this word as a plural noun. Today, however, Japanese native speakers quite often use this word as a singular noun, as the border between singular and plural nouns in the Japanese language is very ambiguous. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Then, let me explain how to use “tomodachi” through the example sentence.

Example #1: how to say “friend” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make its possessive case, “watashi no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese. Learn more about “watashi no“.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun, adjective, or phrase to make it sound polite. Probably, it is well know as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “watashi no tomodachi”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “tomodachi”. In the example, it is used as a part of the phrase, “watashi no tomodachi”, which means ‘a friend of mine’. When we want to say “friend” in Japanese, it is the best choice in most cases.

Next, then, let me explain the similar word, “yuujin”, in detail.

Definition and meaning of “yuujin”

Below are the definition and meaning of “yuujin”.

• yuujin – 友人 (ゆうじん) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese.

Unlike “tomodachi”, Japanese native speakers rarely use “yuujin” as a plural noun. To understand this point, let me explain its kanji expression in detail.

“Yuujin” in Kanji

Below are the kanji characters used in “yuujin”.

• 友 : the same as explained above. This kanji character is often used to mean ‘friend’ in Japanese.
• 人 : a kanji character used to mean ‘person’ in Japanese. It is often used to add the meaning of ‘person’ to its preceding word. This kanji character can also be found in other words like “hito“, “koibito“, and “nihonjin“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “yuujin” is a singular noun meaning ‘friend’. And actually it is. To tell the truth, this word can be considered as the singular form of “tomodachi”. In reality, however, Japanese native speakers have already extended the role of “tomodachi” to the singular noun. So, they don’t need to often use “yuujin”. Interestingly, as the result of the extension, “yuujin” remains as a polite expression for ‘friend’. So, it is more suitable for formal situations.

Example #2: how to use “friend” in a formal way in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “watashi no yuujin”, to make the object in the sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• shoukai shi – 紹介し (しょうかいし) : one conjugation of the verb, “shoukai suru”, which means ‘to introduce’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shoukai shi”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “yuujin”. As it sounds more polite than “tomodachi”, the example sentence also gives us a polite impression. When we want to say “friend” in formal situations, “yuujin” would be a better choice.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “tomodachi”, in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained the similar word, “yuujin”. Let me summarize them as follows.

• tomodachi – 友達 (ともだち) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘friends’. From these two kanji, it is literally a plural noun meaning ‘friends’. Yet, Japanese native speakers don’t hesitate to use it as a singular noun.
• yuujin – 友人 (ゆうじん) : a noun meaning ‘friend’ in Japanese. It can be considered as the singular form of “tomodachi”. Yet, Japanese native speakers use it mainly in formal situations.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.