友

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

• 㑓 伖 𡛀 抜 鿆 𥁊 叐 𡵢 苃 爰 爱 髪

• KangXi: 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

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

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

友

1. friend; companion

   好友  ―  hǎoyǒu  ―  good friend

   • 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. [Pinyin]

     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. [Pinyin]

     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. [Pinyin]

     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. [Pinyin]

     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, slightly impolite) guy; bloke (Classifier: 條／条; 班)

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

6. a surname

• “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–

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. friend

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

友(ゆう) • (Yū) ^{←いう (iu)?}

1. a male given name

From Middle Chinese 友 (MC ɦɨuX).

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

Wikisource 友 (eumhun 벗 우 (beot u))

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

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

友: Hán Nôm readings: hữu

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.