The Meaning of tomodachi [友達] In Japanese

友達
ともだち
Romaji: tomodachi N5

What does 友達 mean?

Translation and Meaning

friend, friends

Definition

What does 友達 mean? It denotes a friend—a person you have a friendly relationship with and choose to spend time with. In everyday Japanese, it can refer to a single close friend or a small circle of friends, typically used in casual contexts.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Casual term for a friend or close acquaintance; widely used in everyday speech
  • Can indicate multiple friends when the context implies plurality

Composition

  • 友: core meaning is friendship and social connection
  • 達: serves as a plural/collective suffix here, often read たち (tachi); together they convey ‘friends’ or a circle of friends

Usage

Used in casual conversation, social media, and informal writing to refer to a friend or a small group of friends. It contrasts with 友人, which is more formal or written; in contexts like school or among peers, 友達 is common; ownership and relationships are shown with 私の or 君の before the noun.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize two people as the two small strokes in 友 forming a bond, and imagine 達 as a path they walk together to reach each other; this helps recall tomodachi and the idea of a group of friends.

Variations

  • 友人 (yuujin) — formal or literate term for a friend
  • 知人 (chijin) — acquaintance
  • 仲間 (nakama) — companion or member of a group

Example Phrases

  • 近郊 の 新しい 公園 で 友達 と 散歩 した。
    kinkou no atarashii kouen de tomodachi to sanpo shita.
    I walked with my friend in the new park in the suburbs.
    Lista:
    • 近郊 (kinkou) – suburbs
    • の (no) – of
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 公園 (kouen) – park
    • で (de) – at/in
    • 友達 (tomodachi) – friend
    • と (to) – with
    • 散歩 (sanpo) – walk
    • した (shita) – did
    The noun 「近郊」 means suburbs, and here it is linked to another noun with の to form 近郊の新しい公園.
  • 友達と 駅前で 待ち合わせして カフェで お茶した
    Tomodachi to ekimae de machiawase shite kafe de ocha shita.
    A friend and I met at the station square and had tea at a cafe.
    Lista:
    • 友達と (tomodachi to) – with a friend
    • 駅前で (ekimae de) – in front of the station
    • 待ち合わせして (machiawase shite) – meeting up
    • カフェで (kafe de) – at a cafe
    • お茶した (ocha shita) – had tea
    「待ち合わせ」(machiawase) is a noun meaning a prearranged meeting; 待ち合わせして expresses ‘meeting up’ in this context.
  • 友達は アマチュア の バンド を 組んで います。
    Tomodachi wa amachua no bando o kunde imasu.
    A friend is forming an amateur band.
    Lista:
    • 友達は (tomodachi wa) – friend (topic marker)
    • アマチュア (amachua) – amateur
    • の (no) – of/possessive
    • バンド (bando) – band
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 組んで (kunde) – forming
    • います (imasu) – are
    In this sentence, アマチュア acts as a noun modifier using の to describe バンド, forming 「アマチュアのバンド」 meaning “amateur band.”
  • 友達に誕生日の花を贈る計画を立てた。
    Tomodachi ni tanjoubi no hana o okuru keikaku o tateta.
    I planned to give my friend birthday flowers.
    Lista:
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 誕生日の花 (tanjoubi no hana) – birthday flowers
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 贈る (okuru) – to give (as a gift)
    • 計画を (keikaku o) – the plan (object marker)
    • 立てた (tateta) – made
    Here, 「贈る」 indicates giving as a gift. The recipient is marked with に and the thing being given with を.
  • 今日は 浜辺で 友達と 話しながら 貝を 拾って 家に 持ち帰る。
    Kyou wa hamabe de tomodachi to hanashi nagara kai o hirotte ie ni mochikaeru.
    Today at the beach, I talk with my friends, pick up shells, and take them home.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today
    • 浜辺で (hamabe de) – at the beach
    • 友達と (tomodachi to) – with friends
    • 話しながら (hanashi nagara) – while talking
    • 貝を (kai o) – shells
    • 拾って (hirotte) – picking up
    • 家に (ie ni) – to home
    • 持ち帰る (mochikaeru) – take home
    「浜辺」 marks the seashore; with で it indicates the location of the actions in the sentence.
友達