友 yǒu — friend · English

友

yǒu

friend

At a glance · 友

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「友」甲骨文从二又（手），象两手相助，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「友」本义为朋友、友好，引申互助、友爱的。

Structure

从二又（手），会意字，二手相助为友，本为朋友。

At a glance

Pinyinyǒu

Radical又

Strokes4

UnicodeU+53CB

Character type会意

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English friend friend, companion; fraternity

Français ami Ami, amitié. «交友投分» : les amis.

Español amigo Amigo, amistad. «交友投分»: los amigos.

العربية صديق صديق، صداقة. «交友投分»: الأصدقاء.

Русский друг Друг, дружба. «交友投分»: друзья.

Common words

朋友péng yǒufriend
友谊yǒu yìfriendship

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