How to write 朋 (péng, “friend”)

朋 (péng), an HSK 1 character, means “friend”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. Among the HSK words it appears in 朋友 (“friend”), 女朋友 (“girlfriend”) and 小朋友 (“child”). Japanese reads it hou, “companion”, as a JLPT N1 kanji.

Pinyin: péng
Strokes: 8
HSK: 1
Radical: 月 (“moon or flesh”)

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 月 (“moon or flesh”, the radical), strokes 1–4; 月 (“moon or flesh”, the radical), strokes 5–8, written the left part first.

Vertical then left-falling ㇓top leftdownwards → down and left
Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆top leftrightwards → downwards
Horizontal ㇐leftup and right → rightwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Vertical then left-falling ㇓topdownwards
Horizontal-turn-hook ㇆toprightwards → downwards
Horizontal ㇐toprightwards
Horizontal ㇐centerrightwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 8 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 8 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 8 strokes

Where 朋 comes from

Two people 月 walking together

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
péng second tone	friend	—	朋友女朋友小朋友男朋友

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 1 word
Words with it: 29 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 朋

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
朋友	péngyou	friend HSK 1
女朋友	nǚpéngyou	girlfriend HSK 1
小朋友	xiǎopéngyǒu	child; kid… HSK 1
男朋友	nánpéngyou	boyfriend HSK 1
亲朋好友親朋好友	qīnpéng-hǎoyǒu	friends and family; kith and kin HSK 5
好朋友	hǎopéngyou	good friend
老朋友	lǎopéngyou	old friend; menstruation
三朋四友	sānpéngsìyǒu	friends; cronies
交朋友	jiāopéngyou	to make friends; to start an affair with sb
酒肉朋友	jiǔròupéngyou	lit. drinking buddy (idiom); fig. fair-weather friend

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

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Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: