How to Write 友 (yǒu) — Meaning “Friend.”

Picture two hands meeting in a handshake: the top two strokes form one hand reaching down, and the bottom 又 forms the other hand reaching up. This visual reminds you that 友 means 'friend'.

Start with a short horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke that goes down left. The bottom part 又 begins with a horizontal-then-left-falling stroke, and ends with a right-falling stroke that extends further right than the top. A common mistake is making the top horizontal too long or forgetting the left-falling stroke.

又 (yòu) is just the bottom part of 友 without the top two strokes, meaning 'again' or 'also'. 叉 (chā) looks like 又 with a dot inside, meaning 'fork' or 'to cross'. 友 has an extra diagonal stroke above the 又, so it has four strokes total.

友 appears in common words like 朋友 (péng yǒu, friend), 友好 (yǒu hǎo, friendly), and 友谊 (yǒu yì, friendship). In Chinese culture, calling someone 朋友 emphasizes mutual respect and loyalty, and the character is often seen in friendly greetings and social contexts.

Common words containing 友 include: 朋友 (péng yǒu) — friend; 友好 (yǒu hǎo) — Friendly; amicable.; 友谊 (yǒu yì) — Friendship..