友

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

友 (Kangxi radical 29, 又+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 大水 (KE), four-corner 4004₇, composition ⿸𠂇又)

Derived characters

• 㑓 伖 𡛀 抜 鿆 𥁊 叐 𡵢 苃 爰 爱 髪

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 165, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3119
• Dae Jaweon: page 374, character 18
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 391, character 1
• Unihan data for U+53CB

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 友
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 又 (“hand”) + 又 (“hand”) – two right hands meeting in friendship. Also phono-semantic (形聲／形声) , from 又 (OC *ɢʷɯs).

Etymology

Endoactive derivation of 右 (OC *ɢʷɯʔ, “right”) (Schuessler, 2007). Cognate with Tibetan གྲོགས (grogs, “friend; companion”) (STEDT).

Pronunciation

Definitions

友

1. friend; companion

   好友  ―  hǎoyǒu  ―  good friend

   波友 [Cantonese]  ―  bo¹ jau⁵   ―  friend that someone often plays ball games with

   • 招招舟子、人涉卬否。人涉卬否、卬須我友。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     招招舟子、人涉卬否。人涉卬否、卬须我友。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zhāozhāo zhōuzǐ, rén shè áng fǒu. Rén shè áng fǒu, áng xū wǒyǒu.

     The boatman beckons and beckons; others cross, not me. Others cross, not me; I'm waiting for my friend.

2. (literary) to make friends with

   • 無友不如己者。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     无友不如己者。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wú yǒu bùrú jǐ zhě.

     Have no friends not equal to yourself.

3. (literary, chiefly among brothers) to love each other

   • 窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yǎotiǎoshūnǚ, qínsè yǒu zhī.

     The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady: With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.

   • 兄亦不念鞠子哀，大不友于弟。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE, translated based on Bernhard Karlgren's version

     Xiōng yì bù niàn jūzǐ āi, dà bù yǒu yú dì.

     The elder brother likewise does not think of his tender younger brother’s pitiableness and is greatly unfriendly towards his younger brother.

4. (in compounds) friendly

   友邦  ―  yǒubāng  ―  friendly nation

   友軍／友军  ―  yǒujūn  ―  friendly forces

5. (Cantonese, colloquial, somewhat impolite) guy; bloke (Classifier: 條／条 c; 班 c; 丁 c; 兜 c)

   西裝友／西装友 [Cantonese]  ―  sai¹ zong¹ jau^5-2   ―  guy in a suit

   一丁友 [Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ ding¹ jau^5-2   ―  alone; by oneself

6. a surname

Synonyms

Compounds

References

• “友”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. friend

Readings

• Go-on: う (u)
• Kan-on: ゆう (yū, Jōyō)^{←いう (iu, historical)}
• Kun: とも (tomo, 友, Jōyō)

Etymology 1

Etymology 2

Proper noun

友(ゆう) • (Yū) ^{←いう (iu)?}

1. a male given name

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 友 (MC hjuwX).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

友

Wikisource

友 (eumhun 벗 우 (beot u))

1. Hanja form^? of 우 (“friend; companion”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

友: Hán Nôm readings: hữu

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