好友

• Pinyin: hǎo yǒu
• Hanzi breakdown: 好 = 女 (woman) + 子 (child) — the concept of goodness; 友 = two hands reaching toward each other — friendship

Meaning

Good friend; close friend. A person with whom one has a close and trusting friendship.

Used both in everyday speech and in digital contexts. On social media platforms like WeChat, 好友 refers to contacts on your friend list. Common collocations include 好友列表 (friend list) and 添加好友 (add a friend). More emphatic than just 朋友 (friend), implying closer intimacy.

Examples

1. 她是我从小到大的好友。 She has been my close friend since childhood.
2. 我在微信上有三百多个好友。 I have more than three hundred friends on WeChat.
3. 好友之间应该互相信任。 Good friends should trust each other.

Usage Guide

Context: social, digital, everyday

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 你可以加我为好友。(You can add me as a friend.)
• 她是我最好的好友之一。(She is one of my best friends.)

Don't Say

• 他是我的好友同事 (Don't combine 好友 with 同事 awkwardly — say 他既是我的好友也是我的同事 if you mean both)

Origin & History

好 (hǎo, good) + 友 (yǒu, friend) — a straightforward compound meaning 'good friend,' emphasising closeness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal