Listen to this articleThe Mandarin word for “friend” or “friends” is péngyou. It is made up of two characters: 朋 (péng) and 友 (yǒu), both of which mean “friend” and can be combined with other characters to express the many aspects of friendship.
EXAMPLES
Tā shì wǒ de hǎo péngyou.
他是我的好朋友
他是我的好朋友
He is my good friend.
Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu nán péngyou?
你有沒有男朋友?
你有没有男朋友?
Do you have a boyfriend?
This word can also be used to refer to children in the word 小朋友, which literally means “small friends”, but means “children”.
It is less formal and not as common as the basic word 孩子, which can be used in almost any situation and is common in all regions.
