Kanji · JLPT N5 · Level 5
友 friend
- Meaning
- friend
- On reading
- ユウ
- Kun reading
- とも
Memory hook
Two hands reaching the same way, pulling together. ユウ in compounds, とも on its own. 友達 tomodachi, a friend.
Words that use 友
友だち
ともだち
friend
友人
ゆうじん
friend (formal)
How to write 友
Stroke order · 4 strokes
1
2
3
4
- 1. The horizontal across the top.
- 2. The sweep down to the left.
- 3. Horizontal, then sweep down to the left.
- 4. The diagonal down to the right.
Stroke data from KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
General rules
- Top to bottom, left to right.
- Horizontal strokes before crossing vertical ones (十 = horizontal, then vertical).
- Outside before inside - but close a box last (口).
- A vertical that passes all the way through comes last (中).
- Left-falling diagonal before right-falling (大).
友 is taught on day 20 of the kanji course, alongside 姉 妹 名, with two writing passes and a short quiz.