The Chinese symbol for friendship — 友 (yǒu)

Where the character comes from

友 is two right hands drawn side by side, both reaching the same way. Hands joined, not clasped in greeting — the oldest forms make the pairing unmistakable.

How it is actually used

朋友 is a friend, 好友 a close friend, 友好 is friendly (as in friendly relations between countries), 友谊 is friendship, and 战友 is a comrade you served alongside.

Both glyphs above are set in whatever Chinese font your device uses, which is a 楷书-derived regular script — the same shape a printer or a tattoo studio's "Chinese font" will produce. Brush styles (行书 running, 草书 cursive, 篆书 seal) look substantially different and are worth commissioning from a calligrapher rather than approximating from a font. You can watch this character written stroke by stroke in the Stroke Order Animator or practise it on printable 田字格 sheets.

This is the part a symbol list leaves out, and it is the fastest way to feel what a character actually carries. Readings and meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the translator; tap any word for its full dictionary entry.

友 is one answer, not the answer. Which of these is right depends on what you mean by "friendship" — and that is usually the question worth settling before anything is written down permanently.

What is the Chinese symbol for friendship?

友 (yǒu) means friend, but in modern Chinese it does not stand alone — you say 朋友 for a friend and 友谊 (yǒuyì) for friendship. A lone 友 reads as a classical or a compounding form. It is written 友 and pronounced yǒu.

What does 友 not mean?

It does not carry the warmth English packs into 'friendship' by itself; 友好 is often diplomatic rather than personal. And it is not the same as 义, the obligation between sworn brothers, which is a much heavier bond.

Is 友 commonly mistranslated?

Yes. The claim you will meet most often is: "友 on its own says 'friend'." It is understood, but it reads as a bound form — like writing 'amic' and expecting 'friend'. 朋友 is what a Chinese reader expects. This page lists 2 such claims about 友 with what is true instead.

Is 友 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

友 is the same in both scripts, four strokes, and it is one of the easiest characters on this list to write well — two sweeping strokes and a crossing pair, with plenty of open space.

What else can I use for friendship in Chinese?

Depending on what you mean: 朋友, 友谊, 义. This page explains when each one is the right choice, and 友 itself lives in words such as 朋友, 友谊, 友好.