How to Say "My Friend" in Chinese

我的朋友

wǒ de péngyǒu

我的朋友 (wǒ de péngyǒu) is the Chinese way to say 'my friend'.

The phrase is used to describe a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection and trust.

What does it mean word for word?

我的朋友 breaks down into 我 (I), the possessive particle 的 which indicates possession to turn 'I' into 'my' and 朋友 which means 'friend'.

In casual spoken Chinese, the possessive particle 的 is often omitted, allowing you to say 我朋友 to mean 'my friend'.

wǒ de péngyǒu

A very close friend might be referred to as 死党 (sǐdǎng), which literally translates to a 'death party' or 'dying faction', implying a bond so strong you would face death together.
The character 朋 (péng) originally depicted two strings of cowrie shells tied together, symbolizing a pair of matching items or a close partnership.
In mainland China, many people will refer to their friends as 老 (lǎo), meaning 'old', such as in 老王 (Old Wang), as a sign of intimacy and long-standing respect.

他是我的朋友。
He is my friend.
This sentence is useful for identifying someone as 我的朋友.
Tatoeba #490784 by GlossaMatik, translation #298009 by CH
這是我的朋友。
This is my friend.
This sentence is useful for introducing someone as 我的朋友.
Tatoeba #6149256 by xjjAstrus, translation #675960 by CK
我在談我的朋友。
I'm talking about my friend.
This sentence is useful for expressing that you are talking about 我的朋友.
Tatoeba #6293070 by verdastelo9604, translation #1199513 by Anon
我邀请我的友人参加晚宴
I am inviting my friend to the dinner party.
我们是哥们儿
We are buddies.
他是我的好朋友
He is my good friend.
41 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yuting introduces Wei to someone at a party.

雨婷 Yuting

这是我的朋友，伟。
Zhè shì wǒ de péngyǒu, Wěi.
This is my friend, Wei.
伟 Wei

你好！很高兴认识你。
Nǐ hǎo! Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.
Hello! Nice to meet you.
雨婷 Yuting

伟是我最好的朋友。
Wěi shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyǒu.
Wei is my best friend.
伟 Wei

你们认识很久了吗？
Nǐmen rènshi hěn jiǔ le ma?
Have you known each other for a long time?

Sources

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