How to Say Friend in Chinese: Key Vocab, Slang and Idioms

Q: How do you say 'acquaintance' in Chinese?

The word for 'acquaintance' in Chinese is 熟人 (shú rén).

Q: What is the slang term for a female best friend in Chinese?

The slang term for a female best friend in Chinese is 闺蜜 (guī mì).

Q: How do you refer to a group of friends who only meet up for fun and drinks in Chinese?

The term for that kind of friendship is 酒肉朋友 (jiǔ ròu péng yǒu), meaning fair-weather friends or drinking buddies.

Q: How do you describe a deep, inseparable friendship in Chinese?

The idiom 情同手足 (qíng tóng shǒu zú) describes a deep friendship as close as siblings.

Q: What word would you use for a naughty friend who likes to tease you?

The word for a naughty friend is 损友 (sǔn yǒu), a playful term for a friend who plays pranks on each other without bad intentions.

By LTL Team HQ
Language Learning
February 4, 2025

Discover the Diverse Ways to Say ‘Friend’ in Chinese and How to Use Them in Your Daily Conversations.

Friendship is an important part of life, and if you’re learning Chinese, knowing how to talk about friends is essential.

The most common word for “friend” in Chinese is 朋友 (péngyǒu) and “friendship” is 友谊 (yǒuyì), but there’s much more to it than just these basic terms.

Depending on the context, relationship, and even regional slang, different words and expressions can be used to describe friendships.

In this blog, we’ll start with the fundamental vocabulary for “friend” in Chinese before exploring informal and slang terms used in everyday conversation. We’ll also look at idioms and expressions about friendship.

Whether you’re making a new friend, talking about a close bond, or expressing appreciation for a lifelong companion, this guide will help you find the right words.

Friend in Chinese || Basic Words for Friend
Friend in Chinese || Informal and Slang Terms for Friend
Friend in Chinese || Idioms and Expressions Involving Friendship
Friend in Chinese || How to Talk About Friendship in Different Situations
Friend in Chinese || FAQs

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Friend in Chinese || Basic Words for Friend

First, here are some basic words to refer to friends in almost daily conversation.

朋友
péng yǒu
The standard word for “friend”

You can use this word everywhere when introducing a new friend in almost all contexts. Here is an example:

他是我的朋友。
tā shì wǒ de péng yǒu
He is my friend.

好朋友
hǎo péng yǒu
Good friend

This word is used to describe a close or good friend in casual settings.

For example, when talking about a close friend, you can say:

^{tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péng yǒu}

她是我最好的朋友。

_{She is my best friend.}

Now, for someone that you don’t really feel is as close to a friend yet, but you still know each other, here’s the word for that.

^{shú rén}

熟人

_{Acquaintances}

同学
tóng xué
Classmate

Even though 同学 (tóng xué) is a word you use to refer to a classmate in school, it also becomes an endearing nickname for calling your friends.

Now in China, people assume that those in school would be more trustworthy and friendly, so 同学 (tóng xué) shows a level of intimacy and trust.

If you try to approach someone friendly, you can always refer to someone as 同学.

Friend in Chinese || Informal and Slang Terms for Friend

Besides the standard term for friends, there are some informal and interesting slang in different parts of China that people have invented for nicknames to call each other.

^{sǐ dǎng}

死党

_Bestie

This is the slang term that younger people use to refer to their best friends, it’s like your ‘ride or die’ in English.

When you grow up, you always have someone who grew up with you and you two are almost inseparable and incredibly close. That is your 死党 (sǐ dǎng)

For example:

我和他是死党。
wǒ hé tā shì sǐ dǎng
He and I are besties.

哥们儿
gē men er
Brother/Bro

Just like how you use “bro” to refer to a close male friend, 哥们儿 gē men er is a casual and informal way for Chinese to call their male friends. For example:

^{gē menr, wǒ men qù hē yī bēi ba}

哥们儿，我们去喝一杯吧。

_{Bro, let’s grab a drink.}

闺蜜
guī mì
Female best friend

And the equivalent for female close friends is called 闺蜜 guī mì. The younger girls love to call their best friends in this way to show their intimacy and close friendship.

Usually, the friendship would last a long time to be qualified as 闺蜜 guī mì. For example:

^{wǒ men shì shí nián de guī mì le}

我们是十年的闺蜜了。

_{We’ve been best friends for 10 years.}

^{xiōng dì}

兄弟

_Brother

This word has a similar meaning with 哥们儿 gē men er. But besides referring to close male friends, the word emphasizes strong brotherhood and loyalty to the friendship.

^{wǒ men shì xiōng dì}

我们是兄弟

_{We’re brothers.}

In northern China, this word is also commonly used to refer to any male you see on the street when you try to approach someone as friendly.

^{lǎo tiě}

老铁

_{Another way for Bro}

This is a modern slang, more commonly used in northern China. It is for close, trusted friends, mostly between males.

The term carries a connotation of someone reliable and loyal.

老铁，帮个忙吧。
lǎo tiě, bāng gè máng ba
Bro, help me out.

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Friend in Chinese || Idioms and Expressions Involving Friendship

Friendship has been an ever-lasting topic over China’s long history. So there are a lot of ancient idioms and expressions referring to strong friendship and how people appreciate it.

^{qíng tóng shǒu zú}

情同手足

_{As close as one’s hands and feet}

This word literally means that friendship is like your hands and feet. It describes a friendship as close as siblings, with strong affection and loyalty for each other.

For example, you may often hear people say:

兄弟情谊情同手足
xiōng dì qíng yì qíng tóng shǒu zú
The brotherhood is as close and inseparable as our hands and foot.

^{zhì tóng dào hé}

志同道合

_{Like-minded (idiom)}

Can you remember how your friendship usually developed? It usually comes from a common interest or aspiration. Or as we typically call it, like-minded people.

我们是志同道合的朋友。
wǒ men shì zhì tóng dào hé de péng yǒu
We are like-minded friends who share the same values.

^{gān dǎn xiāng zhào}

肝胆相照

_{The liver and the gut correspond to each other. (idiom)}

This idiom means that the liver and the gut correspond to each other.

It describes a friendship in which both people trust each other completely and are always open with one another.

For example:

我们是肝胆相照的好朋友。
wǒ men shì gān dǎn xiāng zhào de hǎo péng yǒu
We are close friends who trust each other completely.

^{shēng sǐ zhī jiāo}

生死之交

_{Friendship of life and death (idiom)}

Now, this word just levels up the friendship to the ultimate level.

The word describes that your friendship has been forged through life-and-death situations. So it is an extremely loyal friendship where you can rely on each other in any challenging times.

Friend in Chinese || How to Talk About Friendship in Different Situations

As the level of friendship deepens, there are different words to refer to. The Chinese language has a vast vocabulary to refer to friends in many specific contexts.

酒肉朋友
jiǔ ròu péng yǒu
Drinking buddy/ Fair-weather friends

What about a friend that you always hang out with at parties but you never trusted to ask for a favor?

Now that is a 酒肉朋友 jiǔ ròu péng yǒu – who only sticks around for good times but is never by your side during difficult times.

他不过是个酒肉朋友，遇到事儿就不见了。
tā bú guò shì gè jiǔ ròu péng yǒu, yù dào shì er jiù bú jiàn le)
He’s just a fair-weather friend who disappears when things go wrong.

^{sǔn yǒu}

损友

_{A mischievous friend}

The word literally means a mischievous friend. You would only describe a person when dissing each other only shows how close you two are.

In Chinese culture, when friends get really close to each other, they could tease or prank each other.

Do you have a friend who occasionally teases you or plays a prank on you? It was never meant for wrong intention. Just because you two are so close to each other, it would never hurt your real friendship and often end up in a good laugh.

忘年交
wàng nián jiāo
Friends despite difference in age

There are also situations where people from two different generations or who vary in age develop a close friendship.

In Chinese, we would call it a cross-generational friendship, where you forget about your age.

For example:

他和我爷爷是忘年交，虽然差了三十岁。
tā hé wǒ yé ye shì wàng nián jiāo, suī rán chà le sān shí suì
He and my grandfather are cross-generational friends, even though they are 30 years apart.

Great! Now, we have given you a lot of words to learn to refer to friends. Have a good time socializing. You’ll start to develop a lot of good connections in China.

That's all for this article. Do you have any Chinese friend? Tell us how you would describe him/her here!

Friend in Chinese || FAQs

What is the most common word for “friend” in Chinese?

The most common word for “friend” in Chinese is 朋友 (péngyǒu). It can be used in both casual and formal contexts to refer to a friend.

Are there informal or slang words for “friend” in Chinese?

Yes! Some casual and slang terms include 哥们 (gēmen) for “bro” or close male friends, 闺蜜 (guīmì) for a close female friend, and 死党 (sǐdǎng) for a best friend or lifelong companion.

How do you say “best friend” in Chinese?

You can say 最好的朋友 (zuì hǎo de péngyǒu) for “best friend,” or use 知己 (zhījǐ) for a close confidant who truly understands you.

How do you say ‘acquaintance’ in Chinese?

The word for ‘acquaintance’ in Chinese is 熟人 (shú rén).

What is the slang term for a female best friend in Chinese?

The slang term for a female best friend in Chinese is 闺蜜 (guī mì).

How do you refer to a group of friends who only meet up for fun and drinks in Chinese?

The term for that kind of friendship is 酒肉朋友 (jiǔ ròu péng yǒu), meaning fair-weather friends or drinking buddies.

How do you describe a deep, inseparable friendship in Chinese?

The idiom 情同手足 (qíng tóng shǒu zú) describes a deep friendship as close as siblings.

What word would you use for a naughty friend who likes to tease you?

The word for a naughty friend is 损友 (sǔn yǒu), a playful term for a friend who plays pranks on each other without bad intentions.

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