友人 yǒurén friend
How to remember 友人: 友 friend + 人 person = friend.
Characters
How it is used
- 'A friend' - a formal/written equivalent of 朋友: 国际友人 (guójì yǒurén) foreign friends, 各界友人 friends from all walks of life.
- Register is elevated and literary; you'd use it in a speech or news report, not in casual conversation where 朋友 is normal.
Example sentences
- 所谓陌生人，只是还未相见的友人而已。 Suǒwèi mòshēngrén, zhǐshì hái wèi xiāngjiàn de yǒurén éryǐ.A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet.