Chinese word

友好

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǒu hǎo

Meaning

  • adjectivefriendly

Example

邻居对我们很友好。lín jū duì wǒ men hěn yóu hǎo

The neighbors are very friendly to us.

Illustration for 友好 (friendly)

More examples

老师对新同学很友好。lǎo shī duì xīn tóng xué hěn yóu hǎo

The teacher is very friendly to the new classmate.

Core concept

A welcoming attitude that makes people easy to approach without making them close friends.

Common phrases

  • 很友好hěn yóu hǎo

    very friendly

  • 对朋友友好duì péng yǒu yóu hǎo

    friendly to friends

  • 对我们友好duì wǒ men yóu hǎo

    friendly to us

Similar words

友善yǒu shàn: Showing goodwill through a kind attitude that makes social contact easy.
亲切qīn qiè: Kind and considerate, with a polite manner that makes people feel cared for.
热情rè qíng: Warm and enthusiastic, showing strong eagerness to welcome or help through words and actions.

Definition in Chinese

表示态度友善、容易接近，但不一定表示关系非常亲密。biǎo shì tài dù yǒu shàn róng yì jiē jìn dàn bù yí dìng biǎo shì guān xì fēi cháng qīn mì

Word origin

友 (yǒu, "friend") + 好 (hǎo, "good") combines the ideas of friendship and good feeling into an attitude of goodwill toward others.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often connect this word with close friendship, but Chinese also uses it for a polite, welcoming relationship between strangers, groups, or countries.

Other meanings

  • friendshipnoun
  • goodwillnoun

Word lists with this word