男朋友 (nánpéngyou) · boyfriend
男朋友 (nánpéngyou) means “boyfriend”. It is written with 3 characters: 男 (male) + 朋 (friend) + 友 (friend). It is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 男朋友 is built
The characters
男 nán · male
What 男 is made of
- 田tián — field
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 力lì — strength
- 丿 — falling stroke
Origin hint: Someone who can work 力 the farm 田 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
朋 péng · friend
What 朋 is made of
- 月yuè — moon; month
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
- 月yuè — moon; month
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 二 — two strokes
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 冂 — frame
Origin hint: Two people 月 walking together (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
友 yǒu · friend
What 友 is made of
- 又yòu — and
Origin hint: Two hands 又 joined, representing friendship; 又 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
Questions about 男朋友
What does 男朋友 mean?
男朋友 (nánpéngyou) means “boyfriend”.
How do you pronounce 男朋友?
男朋友 is pronounced nánpéngyou.
Which HSK level is 男朋友?
男朋友 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021).
Related words
- 男孩儿nánháirboy
- 男人nánrénman
- 男生nánshēngboy
- 男子nánzǐman
- 男女nánnǚmen and women
- 男士nánshìgentleman
- 男性nánxìngmale
- 男nánmale
- 女朋友nǚpéngyougirlfriend
- 朋友péngyoufriend
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 23: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.