【Learn Chinese】20 Ways to Say “Friend” in Chinese (Part 2)

Whether you’re referring to your bestie, colleague or anything in between, like in English, there are various ways to describe friendships in Mandarin.
This is part two of our article where you learn more terms for “friend” in Chinese.

闺蜜 (guī mì) — Best friend (between females)
This is a Chinese term that emphasizes the close and intimate relationship between two female friends. The characters 闺 (guī) and 蜜 (mì) respectively mean “room” and “close.” Together, they convey the idea of a friend who’s as close as if they’re sharing the same room or secrets.

伙伴 (huǒ bàn) — Partner
This term encompasses the idea of a companion or collaborator with whom you engage in shared activities, projects or journeys. It can refer to various types of partnerships, including work partners, study partners and travel companions. This is the term you’d use for your buddy who’s always down for an impromptu road trip or your tennis doubles partner.

同伴 (tóng bàn) — Companion
同伴 also means “companion” or “mate,” but it emphasizes the idea of someone who accompanies you or shares an experience with you. It implies that you’re going through something together. The term can be used to describe travel companions, friends who engage in hobbies together or partners in various endeavors.

伴侣 (bàn lǚ) — Companion
This word refers to a companion or partner in a broader sense and can be used to describe everything from spouses to a beloved pet to a business partner. It implies a deep and committed relationship.

同学 (tóng xué) — Schoolmate
This refers to a person who has attended the same school as you, either simultaneously or at some point in the past. It’s used in basically the same way that you’d use “schoolmate” in English.

同事 (tóng shì) — Colleague
Use this for a person who works alongside you in the same workplace. 同事 emphasizes work-related relationships rather than personal connections, and it’s a neutral term used to address and refer to people within a professional context. Whether they’re close collaborators or people you have limited interaction with, they can all be referred to as 同事.

女性朋友 (nǚ xìng péng you) — Female friend, and 男性朋友 (nánxìng péngyou) — Male friend
To specify a male friend, you can use 男性朋友 (nán xìng péng you), where 男性 (nán xìng) means male. For a female friend, you use 女性朋友 (nǚ xìng péng you), with 女性 (nǚ xìng) meaning “female.” These terms explicitly indicate the gender of the friend without implying a romantic relationship.

兄弟 (xiōng dì) — Brother, and 姐妹 (jiě mèi) — Sister
When you call a friend a brother or sister, you’re highlighting the emotional connection and intimacy that you share. It implies that you consider your friend to be like family and that you have a strong sense of loyalty and care for them.

哥哥 (gē ge) — Bro, and 姐姐 (jiě jie) — Sis
Shorten “brother” and “sister” to get these more casual words. You’re probably familiar with their use in English, where they’re used in basically the same way.

女朋友 (nǚ péng you) — Girlfriend, and 男朋友 (nán péng you) — Boyfriend
女朋友 is used to refer to a female romantic partner while 男朋友 is the Chinese word for “boyfriend.” Both are used to refer to romantic partners.

女友 (nǚ yǒu) — Girlfriend, and 男友 (nán yǒu) — Boyfriend
You may hear young people use these abbreviations. These terms are informal but increasingly common, especially in online and social media contexts.