Friend in Different Languages: 70 Translations Around the World

Friendship is one of the most meaningful connections people share, bringing trust, kindness, support, and happiness into everyday life. Learning how to say friend in different languages is a wonderful way to connect with people from other cultures, learn new vocabulary, and express appreciation for the people who matter to you.

The word friend has different translations around the world. It is amigo in Spanish, ami in French, Freund in German, दोस्त (dost) in Hindi, and 朋友 (péngyou) in Mandarin Chinese. Some languages also use different words depending on gender, closeness, or the type of relationship.

In this guide, you will discover 70 language translations, native spellings, easy pronunciation guides, and practical example sentences with English meanings. You will also learn how to use these words naturally when talking about friendship.

How Do You Say Friend in Different Languages?

The English word friend can be translated in several ways depending on the language and context. Here are eight common translations to help you get started.

Language	Native Word for Friend	Easy Pronunciation
Spanish	Amigo / Amiga	Ah-mee-go / Ah-mee-ga
French	Ami / Amie	Ah-mee
German	Freund / Freundin	Froynt / FROYND-in
Italian	Amico / Amica	Ah-mee-ko / Ah-mee-ka
Portuguese	Amigo / Amiga	Ah-mee-go / Ah-mee-ga
Hindi	दोस्त	Dost
Urdu	دوست	Dost
Japanese	友達	Tomo-dachi

Helpful tip: Some languages distinguish between male and female friends, while others use one common word for everyone. The best translation depends on the language and the sentence you want to say.

Friend in South Asian Languages

South Asian languages have several words for friend, including terms used in everyday conversations, school, work, and close relationships.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Hindi	दोस्त	Dost	मेरा दोस्त बहुत अच्छा है।	My friend is very nice.
Urdu	دوست	Dost	میرا دوست بہت اچھا ہے۔	My friend is very nice.
Bengali	বন্ধু	Bondhu	আমার বন্ধু খুব ভালো।	My friend is very nice.
Punjabi	ਦੋਸਤ	Dost	ਮੇਰਾ ਦੋਸਤ ਬਹੁਤ ਚੰਗਾ ਹੈ।	My friend is very nice.
Gujarati	મિત્ર	Mitra	મારો મિત્ર ખૂબ સારો છે.	My friend is very nice.
Marathi	मित्र	Mitra	माझा मित्र खूप चांगला आहे.	My friend is very nice.
Nepali	साथी	Saathi	मेरो साथी धेरै राम्रो छ।	My friend is very nice.

Friend in East Asian Languages

In East Asian languages, words for friend may also express companionship or a close personal relationship. Context often determines how formal or casual the expression feels.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Chinese (Mandarin)	朋友	Péng-you	我的朋友很好。	My friend is very nice.
Japanese	友達	Tomodachi	私の友達はとても親切です。	My friend is very kind.
Korean	친구	Chin-gu	제 친구는 정말 친절해요.	My friend is really kind.
Mongolian	Найз	Naiz	Миний найз их сайхан сэтгэлтэй.	My friend is very kind.
Tibetan	གྲོགས་པོ	Dro-poh	ངའི་གྲོགས་པོ་བཟང་པོ་རེད།	My friend is good.

Friend in Southeast Asian Languages

These languages offer different ways to talk about friends, companions, and people you enjoy spending time with.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Indonesian	Teman	Tuh-man	Teman saya sangat baik.	My friend is very kind.
Malay	Kawan	Kah-wan	Kawan saya sangat baik.	My friend is very kind.
Filipino (Tagalog)	Kaibigan	Kai-bee-gan	Mabait ang kaibigan ko.	My friend is kind.
Javanese	Kanca	Kan-cha	Kancaku apik banget.	My friend is very nice.
Burmese	သူငယ်ချင်း	Thu-ngè-chin	ကျွန်တော့်သူငယ်ချင်းက သဘောကောင်းတယ်။	My friend is kind.
Khmer	មិត្តភក្តិ	Mit-pheak	មិត្តភក្តិរបស់ខ្ញុំល្អណាស់។	My friend is very nice.
Lao	ໝູ່	Moo	ໝູ່ຂອງຂ້ອຍໃຈດີຫຼາຍ.	My friend is very kind.

Friend in Middle Eastern Languages

Words for friend in the Middle East vary by language, dialect, and level of familiarity. Some terms are common in everyday speech, while others are more formal.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Arabic	صديق / صديقة	Sadeeq / Sadeeqa	صديقي لطيف جدًا.	My male friend is very kind.
Persian	دوست	Doost	دوست من خیلی مهربان است.	My friend is very kind.
Hebrew	חבר / חברה	Khaver / Khavera	החבר שלי נחמד מאוד.	My male friend is very nice.
Turkish	Arkadaş	Ar-ka-dash	Arkadaşım çok iyi biri.	My friend is a very good person.
Kurdish (Kurmanji)	Heval	Heh-val	Hevalê min pir baş e.	My friend is very good.
Armenian	Ընկեր	Un-ker	Իմ ընկերը շատ բարի է։	My friend is very kind.
Georgian	მეგობარი	Me-go-ba-ri	ჩემი მეგობარი ძალიან კეთილია.	My friend is very kind.

Friend in Western European Languages

Many Western European languages have words for friend that change according to gender or grammatical structure.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
French	Ami / Amie	Ah-mee	Mon ami est très gentil.	My friend is very kind.
Spanish	Amigo / Amiga	Ah-mee-go / Ah-mee-ga	Mi amigo es muy amable.	My friend is very kind.
Portuguese	Amigo / Amiga	Ah-mee-go / Ah-mee-ga	Meu amigo é muito gentil.	My friend is very kind.
Italian	Amico / Amica	Ah-mee-ko / Ah-mee-ka	Il mio amico è molto gentile.	My friend is very kind.
German	Freund / Freundin	Froynt / FROYND-in	Mein Freund ist sehr nett.	My male friend is very nice.
Dutch	Vriend / Vriendin	Vreent / VREEN-din	Mijn vriend is erg aardig.	My male friend is very nice.
Catalan	Amic / Amiga	Ah-meek / Ah-mee-ga	El meu amic és molt amable.	My male friend is very kind.

Friend in Northern European Languages

Northern European languages include several Germanic languages as well as Finnish and Estonian. The words below are useful for everyday conversations about friends.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swedish	Vän	Ven	Min vän är mycket snäll.	My friend is very kind.
Norwegian	Venn	Ven	Vennen min er veldig snill.	My friend is very kind.
Danish	Ven	Ven	Min ven er meget sød.	My friend is very kind.
Icelandic	Vinur / Vinkona	Vee-nur / Veen-ko-na	Vinur minn er mjög góður.	My male friend is very good.
Finnish	Ystävä	Oos-tä-vä	Ystäväni on todella ystävällinen.	My friend is really kind.
Estonian	Sõber	Suh-ber	Mu sõber on väga lahke.	My friend is very kind.

Friend in Southern European and Balkan Languages

These languages have their own expressions for friendship, companionship, and close personal relationships.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Greek	Φίλος / Φίλη	Fee-los / Fee-lee	Ο φίλος μου είναι πολύ καλός.	My male friend is very nice.
Albanian	Mik / Mikesha	Meek / Mee-keh-sha	Miku im është shumë i sjellshëm.	My male friend is very kind.
Romanian	Prieten / Prietenă	Pree-eh-ten / Pree-eh-teh-nuh	Prietenul meu este foarte amabil.	My male friend is very kind.
Serbian	Пријатељ / Пријатељица	Pree-ya-tel / Pree-ya-te-lyee-tsa	Мој пријатељ је веома добар.	My male friend is very good.
Croatian	Prijatelj / Prijateljica	Pree-ya-tely / Pree-ya-te-lyee-tsa	Moj prijatelj je vrlo ljubazan.	My male friend is very kind.
Bulgarian	Приятел / Приятелка	Pree-ya-tel / Pree-ya-tel-ka	Моят приятел е много мил.	My male friend is very nice.
Macedonian	Пријател / Пријателка	Pree-ya-tel / Pree-ya-tel-ka	Мојот пријател е многу добар.	My male friend is very good.

Friend in Slavic and Eastern European Languages

Slavic languages share some historical connections, but their words for friend differ in spelling, pronunciation, and grammatical gender.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Russian	Друг / Подруга	Droog / Pa-droo-ga	Мой друг очень добрый.	My male friend is very kind.
Ukrainian	Друг / Подруга	Drooh / Pod-roo-ha	Мій друг дуже добрий.	My male friend is very kind.
Polish	Przyjaciel / Przyjaciółka	Psheh-ya-chel / Psheh-ya-choow-ka	Mój przyjaciel jest bardzo miły.	My male friend is very nice.
Czech	Kamarád / Kamarádka	Ka-ma-raat / Ka-ma-raat-ka	Můj kamarád je moc milý.	My male friend is very nice.
Slovak	Kamarát / Kamarátka	Ka-ma-raat / Ka-ma-raat-ka	Môj kamarát je veľmi milý.	My male friend is very nice.
Slovenian	Prijatelj / Prijateljica	Pree-ya-tely / Pree-ya-te-lyee-tsa	Moj prijatelj je zelo prijazen.	My male friend is very kind.
Belarusian	Сябар / Сяброўка	Sya-bar / Sya-brow-ka	Мой сябар вельмі добры.	My male friend is very kind.

Friend in Central Asian Languages

Central Asian languages include Turkic and Iranian languages, each with its own vocabulary for friendship and companionship.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Kazakh	Дос	Dos	Менің досым өте мейірімді.	My friend is very kind.
Uzbek	Doʻst	Dost	Mening doʻstim juda mehribon.	My friend is very kind.
Kyrgyz	Дос	Dos	Менин досум абдан боорукер.	My friend is very kind.
Turkmen	Dost	Dost	Meniň dostum örän mähirli.	My friend is very kind.
Tajik	Дӯст	Doost	Дӯсти ман хеле меҳрубон аст.	My friend is very kind.

Friend in African Languages

Africa has thousands of languages, and these examples show a small part of its linguistic diversity. The words below are useful for learning how to talk about friends across different communities.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Swahili	Rafiki	Rah-fee-kee	Rafiki yangu ni mwema sana.	My friend is very kind.
Yoruba	Ọ̀rẹ́	Aw-reh	Ọ̀rẹ́ mi jẹ́ ẹni rere.	My friend is a good person.
Igbo	Enyi	Eh-nyee	Enyi m dị ezigbo mma.	My friend is very good.
Zulu	Umngane	Oom-ngah-neh	Umngane wami unomusa kakhulu.	My friend is very kind.
Xhosa	Umhlobo	Oom-hloh-boh	Umhlobo wam unobubele kakhulu.	My friend is very kind.
Afrikaans	Vriend / Vriendin	Freent / VREEN-din	My vriend is baie gaaf.	My male friend is very nice.
Amharic	ጓደኛ	Gwa-den-ya	ጓደኛዬ በጣም ደግ ነው።	My friend is very kind.

Friend in Other World Languages

These additional languages offer more ways to express friendship, including Celtic languages, Lithuanian, Basque, and Esperanto.

Language	Native Word	Easy Pronunciation	Example Sentence	English Meaning
Irish	Cara	Kah-rah	Tá mo chara an-chineálta.	My friend is very kind.
Welsh	Ffrind	Freend	Mae fy ffrind yn garedig iawn.	My friend is very kind.
Lithuanian	Draugas / Draugė	DROW-gas / DROW-geh	Mano draugas yra labai malonus.	My male friend is very kind.
Basque	Lagun	Lah-goon	Nire laguna oso atsegina da.	My friend is very nice.
Esperanto	Amiko / Amikino	Ah-mee-ko / Ah-mee-kee-no	Mia amiko estas tre afabla.	My friend is very kind.

How to Use the Word Friend in Everyday Conversations

Knowing a translation is helpful, but using it in a complete sentence makes it easier to remember. Here are some useful expressions to learn.

• My friend: Use this when introducing or talking about someone you know well.
• Best friend: Refers to a particularly close friend.
• A good friend: Describes someone who is supportive, caring, or trustworthy.
• Old friend: Refers to someone you have known for a long time.
• Make friends: Means to develop new friendships.
• Friendship: Describes the relationship between friends.

For example, Spanish speakers use mi amigo for “my male friend” and mi amiga for “my female friend.” In French, mon ami and mon amie follow different grammatical patterns. The correct expression depends on the language.

What Is the Difference Between Friend and Best Friend?

A friend is someone you know and have a friendly relationship with. A best friend is usually someone with whom you share a particularly close bond, trust, and personal experiences.

Here are some useful examples:

• My friend helps me with my homework.
• My best friend knows me very well.
• I met a new friend at school.
• My childhood friend lives in another city.

Not every language uses a direct word-for-word equivalent of best friend. Some use expressions meaning “closest friend” or “very close friend.”

How to Say My Friend in Different Languages

If you want to talk about your own friends, these expressions are useful starting points.

Language	Translation of My Friend
Spanish	Mi amigo / Mi amiga
French	Mon ami / Mon amie
German	Mein Freund / Meine Freundin
Italian	Il mio amico / La mia amica
Portuguese	Meu amigo / Minha amiga
Hindi	मेरा दोस्त / मेरी दोस्त
Urdu	میرا دوست / میری دوست
Japanese	私の友達 (Watashi no tomodachi)
Korean	내 친구 (Nae chingu)
Arabic	صديقي / صديقتي (Sadeeqi / Sadeeqati)

In some languages, the form changes according to the speaker, the friend’s gender, or the grammatical structure of the sentence. In others, one expression works for friends of any gender.

Tips for Learning Friendship Words in Other Languages

Learning vocabulary becomes easier when you connect words with real situations.

• Start with familiar languages: Learn words such as dost, amigo, and ami first.
• Practice aloud: Say each word several times to become familiar with its sounds.
• Learn complete phrases: Remembering “My friend is kind” gives you more practical knowledge than memorizing a single word.
• Compare related languages: Spanish amigo, Portuguese amigo, and Italian amico have related histories.
• Check the context: A word used for a casual friend may not always be appropriate for a close companion or a romantic partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the word for friend in 70 languages?

Friend has different translations around the world. Examples include amigo in Spanish, ami in French, dost in Hindi and Urdu, tomodachi in Japanese, and rafiki in Swahili. The tables above cover 70 languages with native words, pronunciation guides, and example sentences.

How do you say friend in Japanese?

The Japanese word for friend is 友達 (tomodachi). It is commonly used when talking about friends in everyday situations. For example, 私の友達 means “my friend.”

How do you say friend in Arabic?

A common Arabic word for a male friend is صديق (sadeeq), while صديقة (sadeeqa) is commonly used for a female friend. Arabic also has other expressions depending on dialect and context.

What is the difference between a friend and a companion?

A friend is someone with whom you have a friendly personal relationship. A companion is someone who accompanies you or spends time with you. A companion can also be a friend, but the two words do not always mean exactly the same thing.

Which languages have similar words for friend?

Spanish amigo, Portuguese amigo, and Italian amico are similar because these languages developed from Latin. Other languages, such as Hindi and Urdu, use the shared word dost, which has Persian origins. Similar words can reflect historical connections between languages.

Conclusion

Learning how to say friend in different languages is a simple way to explore vocabulary and express appreciation for people around the world. From amigo in Spanish to dost in Hindi and Urdu and rafiki in Swahili, each word offers another way to talk about friendship. Practice the translations in short sentences to build your vocabulary and communicate more confidently.