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N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Friend in Japanese: 友達ともだち, 親友しんゆう, 仲間なかま — and the one anime can''t stop saying

"Friend" in Japanese is 友達ともだち (ともだち, tomodachi) — but Japanese sorts friends by how close and how connected you are, so 親友しんゆう, 仲間なかま, 知り合しりあい and 幼ようなじみ are all different words for different bonds.

Learners usually stop at tomodachi. That works for about a week of lessons. Then you start watching anime, and a word you never studied, 仲間なかま, starts appearing in nearly every action series. This article gives you the whole family of "friend" words, when each one fits, and why one of them is the emotional center of a whole genre.

The basics

What is the normal word for "friend" in Japanese?

友達ともだち (ともだち) is the everyday word for "friend." You can use it with anyone, in any register from casual to polite, and it is often written in hiragana as ともだち or with a mixed spelling, 友ともだち. All three are the same word.

友達ともだちに会あいます。 — I'm meeting a friend. (polite, everyday) あの人ひとは私わたしの友達ともだちです。 — That person is my friend. (polite, introducing someone)

There is no plural marker needed. 友達ともだち works for one friend or several, and context tells you which. That surprises people, because the 達たつ in 友達ともだち looks like the plural suffix in words like 私わたしたち. See our note on たち and ら as plural markers for the details. Short version: in 友達ともだち the たち has fused into the word over centuries, so it is now just the word "friend," singular or plural. If you really want to stress several friends you can say 友達ともだちたち, but people usually just say 友達ともだち or みんな.

How do you say "make friends" or "become friends"?

Use 友達ともだちになる ("become friends") or 友達ともだちができる ("friends come to exist"). Japanese often treats friendship as something that happens, not something you do.

友達ともだちになりませんか。 — Shall we become friends? (polite, sounds a little like a textbook) 日本にほんで友達ともだちができました。 — I made friends in Japan. (polite, natural and common)

Notice the second one uses が and できる, not "make" as a verb of action. That is the natural way to talk about acquiring friends. Saying 友達ともだちを作つくる is also common, especially when you talk about trying (友達ともだちを作つくりたい, 友達ともだち作つくり). It focuses on your effort, while 友達ともだちができた simply reports that it happened.

How do you say "we're friends" or "we get along"?

仲なかがいい (なかがいい) means "get along well," and 仲良なかよし (なかよし) is the noun for a close-knit pair or group. These describe the quality of a relationship rather than its label.

私わたしたちは仲なかがいいです。 — We get along well. (polite) あの二人ふたりは仲良なかよしだね。 — Those two are really close, aren't they? (casual, watching two people)

If you have read our note on 気きが合あう, you will see the overlap: 気きが合あう is about personalities clicking, while 仲なかがいい is about the result, that you spend time together happily.

Beyond the basics

Which word for "friend" fits which relationship?

Japanese has a separate word for almost every distance between you and another person. The table below is the one to screenshot.

Word Reading Distance Where you use it
知り合しりあい しりあい Acquaintance Someone you know by name or face, not a real friend
友達ともだち ともだち Friend The default, all situations
友人ゆうじん ゆうじん Friend (formal) Speeches, writing, business, wedding toasts
仲間なかま なかま Companion, teammate A group sharing a goal, activity, or fate
親友しんゆう しんゆう Best friend Your closest one or two people, trusted deeply
幼ようなじみ おさななじみ Childhood friend Someone you have known since you were small
ダチ ダチ Buddy (slang) Rough, casual speech among men or in manga

Two of these need extra attention.

What is the difference between 友達ともだち and 友人ゆうじん?

友人ゆうじん (ゆうじん) means the same thing as 友達ともだち but sounds formal and written. You see it in news articles, formal speeches, and self-introductions. Spoken between two friends, it would sound stiff.

友人ゆうじんの結婚式けっこんしきに出でます。 — I'm attending a friend's wedding. (polite, slightly formal) 友達ともだちの結婚式けっこんしきに行いく。 — I'm going to a friend's wedding. (casual, spoken)

Same meaning, different feel. This is exactly the kind of choice we cover in the politeness switch between だ and です.

How close is 親友しんゆう, really?

親友しんゆう (しんゆう) means "best friend," but it is a heavier word than in English. You do not casually call someone your 親友しんゆう in a first conversation. It implies deep trust built over time, and in Japanese culture people tend to save it for one or two people at most.

彼かれは僕ぼくの親友しんゆうです。 — He's my best friend. (polite, sincere, weighty) 親友しんゆうだから言いうけど、それはやめたほうがいいよ。 — I'm saying this because we're best friends, but you should stop that. (casual, honest advice)

If you call a new coworker your 親友しんゆう after one dinner, expect a slightly surprised smile. 友達ともだち is safer, and it costs you nothing. Once a friendship really is 親友しんゆう-level, the word for what ties you together is 絆きずな (きずな), and friendship in Japanese warns that 絆きずな is just as wrong for a casual acquaintance, since it is built over time.

What is 仲間なかま, and why does anime say it so much?

仲間なかま (なかま) means a companion or comrade: someone on your side who shares a goal, a group, or a fate with you. It is not a synonym for 友達ともだち. A 友達ともだち is defined by the relationship. A 仲間なかま is defined by being on the same team, whether or not you would ever have chosen each other.

That difference is why anime loves the word. Adventure and battle series are built around a group that starts as strangers and becomes a crew, a squad, or a party. When the story wants to say "you are one of us now," it reaches for 仲間なかま instead of 友達ともだち, because 仲間なかま carries loyalty and shared risk. Long-running pirate, ninja, and sports series use it as a kind of moral centre: protecting, trusting, or refusing to abandon a 仲間なかま is often what decides who is a hero.

仲間なかまを大切たいせつにしなさい。 — Take care of your companions. (plain command, teacher or parent tone) 俺おれたちは仲間なかまだ。 — We're a team. (casual, masculine, declaring loyalty) 新あたらしい仲間なかまが加くわわりました。 — A new member has joined us. (polite, announcing someone joining a group)

Outside anime, you hear it in ordinary life too: 仕事しごと仲間なかま (work colleagues), 飲のみ仲間なかま (drinking buddies), 遊あそび仲間なかま (people you hang out with). Here 仲間なかま is just a soft word for "the people I do this with." The dramatic weight in anime is real, but it is a strong version of an ordinary word.

We also have a companion note on 味方みかた, the word for "someone on my side," which sits right next to 仲間なかま in meaning. 味方みかた is about which side you are on. 仲間なかま is about the bond within that side.

What about 幼ようなじみ and ダチ?

幼ようなじみ (おさななじみ) is a childhood friend, and it is one of anime's most common character types. The word carries a specific feeling: someone who has known you since before you had a personality, who knows your embarrassing history, and who is usually a neighbor. It is often written 幼馴染おさななじみみ with kanji, which most learners find hard to read, so ひらがな is normal.

彼女かのじょは幼ようなじみです。 — She's my childhood friend. (polite, and in fiction often hints at romance) 幼ようなじみだから、何なんでも知しってる。 — We're childhood friends, so I know everything about him. (casual)

ダチ is slang, a clipped version of 友達ともだち. You hear it in gangster stories, delinquent manga, and casual male speech. It is fun to recognize but not something to use with your teacher.

あいつは俺おれのダチだ。 — That guy's my buddy. (rough slang, male, casual)

How do you talk about someone who isn't quite a friend?

Use 知り合しりあい (しりあい). It means someone you know but are not close to: a neighbor you nod to, a friend of a friend, a client from a past job.

彼かれは知り合しりあいですが、友達ともだちではありません。 — He's an acquaintance, but not a friend. (polite, drawing a clear line) 友達ともだちの友達ともだちは、まだ知り合しりあいです。 — A friend's friend is still an acquaintance. (polite, stating the general idea)

This word matters more than learners expect. In Japanese social life the line between 知り合しりあい and 友達ともだち is felt clearly, and the second one carries obligations the first does not.

How to practise it

Each day, take three people you know and sort them: 知り合しりあい, 友達ともだち, 親友しんゆう. It sounds silly, but this forces you to notice that the categories are not equal, and it builds the habit of choosing the word by the relationship rather than by the English translation.

Then use anime. Next time a character calls someone 仲間なかま, pause and ask whether 友達ともだち could replace it. Usually it cannot, because the scene is about loyalty to a group, not affection between two people. That single question trains your ear faster than any word list.

Common mistakes

  • Adding たち to make it plural automatically. 友達ともだち already works as singular or plural. 友達ともだちたち is legal but uncommon, and you usually just say 友達ともだち.
  • Calling every friend a 親友しんゆう. In Japanese this word is heavy. Use 友達ともだち for anyone but your closest people.
  • Using 友人ゆうじん in casual speech. It is correct but reads like a written report. Friends talking to friends say 友達ともだち.
  • Translating 仲間なかま as "friend" every time. It is closer to "companion," "teammate," or "one of us," and the shared-group feeling is the whole point.
  • Using 友達ともだちを作つくる to report that it happened. 友達ともだちを作つくる is natural when you talk about trying (友達ともだちを作つくりたい). To say it already happened, 友達ともだちができた is the more usual way.

FAQ

Is 友達ともだち singular or plural? Both. 友達ともだち works for one friend or many, and context tells you which. The たち in it is historical and no longer counts as a plural marker in everyday use.

What is the difference between 友達ともだち and 親友しんゆう? 友達ともだち is any friend, at any level of closeness. 親友しんゆう is your best friend, someone you trust deeply, and it is used far more sparingly than "best friend" in English.

Is 仲間なかま the same as 友達ともだち? No. 仲間なかま emphasizes belonging to the same group or sharing a goal. A 友達ともだち is a personal bond. In anime, 仲間なかま is the word for someone who fights alongside you, and it carries loyalty and shared risk that 友達ともだち alone does not.

Is ダチ rude? It is slang, so it is casual and a bit rough. Among close friends it is fine, but with teachers, clients, or strangers use 友達ともだち.

How do you say "friend of a friend"? 友達ともだちの友達ともだち (ともだちのともだち). It literally repeats the word, and it is common in casual conversation.

Is 友人ゆうじん more polite than 友達ともだち? Yes, in the sense of being more formal and more written. It does not change the meaning, only the register, which is why it appears in speeches and news but rarely between friends.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 5 and 6 are a pair — the same feeling of "someone with me," but for very different reasons.

1. What is the everyday word for "friend" in Japanese?

Show answer

友達ともだち(ともだち) — the default word, usable with anyone in any register.

2. You are giving a formal speech at a wedding and want to mention "a friend." Which word sounds more suitable, 友達ともだち or 友人ゆうじん?

Show answer

友人ゆうじん — it means the same as 友達ともだち but sounds formal and written, which suits a speech.

3. Someone you met once at a party and whose name you barely remember. What do you call them?

Show answer

知り合しりあい — an acquaintance. Calling them 友達ともだち would be too close a claim.

4. How do you say "I made friends in Japan" naturally?

Show answer

日本にほんで友達ともだちができました。 — Japanese treats friendship as something that comes to exist, with が and できる, rather than something you build with 作つくる.

5. A teammate has fought at your side through a long tournament and refuses to leave you behind. Which word fits best, 親友しんゆう or 仲間なかま?

Show answer

仲間なかま — the bond here comes from a shared goal and shared risk, which is exactly what 仲間なかま means. It is the pair to question 6.

6. Someone you have trusted deeply for many years, one person you would tell anything. Which word fits best, 親友しんゆう or 仲間なかま?

Show answer

親友しんゆう — this is a personal relationship defined by trust between two people, not a team bond. 仲間なかま is about the group, 親友しんゆう is about the person.

7. Why is 友達ともだちたち rarely used?

Show answer

Because 友達ともだち already works for singular and plural. The たち has fused into the word, so people say 友達ともだち or みんな.

8. A character is introduced as "someone I've known since we were small, who lives next door." Which word is this?

Show answer

幼ようなじみ — a childhood friend, a very common anime character type.

9. You want to say "We get along well" about yourself and a coworker. Which expression?

Show answer

私わたしたちは仲なかがいいです。 — 仲なかがいい describes how well two people get along, without needing a label like 友達ともだち.

10. Why should you avoid calling a new coworker your 親友しんゆう after one dinner?

Show answer

Because 親友しんゆう is a heavy word. It implies deep trust built over time, and using it too early can sound strange. 友達ともだち is the safe choice.

Introduce a 友達ともだち, a 親友しんゆう and a 仲間なかま from your own life in a trial lesson and explain why each one earns its word.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

友達	ともだち — friend
友人	ゆうじん — friend (formal, written)
親友	しんゆう — best friend
仲間	なかま — companion, comrade, teammate
知り合い	しりあい — acquaintance
幼なじみ	おさななじみ — childhood friend
ダチ	ダチ — buddy (slang)
仲がいい	なかがいい — to get along well
仲良し	なかよし — close friends
友達になる	ともだちになる — to become friends
友達ができる	ともだちができる — to make friends
結婚式	けっこんしき — wedding
大切にする	たいせつにする — to take care of, to cherish
加わる	くわわる — to join, to be added
みんな	みんな — everyone

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, since 仲間なかま is a word learners hear constantly in anime before they ever see it in a textbook. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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