How to say “friend,” “companion,” or “buddy” in Japanese | 仲間 (なかま、nakama)

The Japanese vocabulary「仲間 (なかま、nakama)」means “friend,” “companion,” or “buddy.” Please learn the pronunciation and the example sentences.

Japanese Vocabulary and the Meaning

Key Word仲間
Hiraganaなかま
Romaji Readingnakama
English Meaningfriend, companion, buddy

The Correct Japanese Pronunciations

Please learn the pronunciation by watching the attached video. You can also learn example sentences.

The Example Japanese Sentences

It is important to have skills in both non-honorific and honorific languages in order to use Japanese correctly.

Japanese Sentenceマイクさんはゴルフなかだ。
Romaji ReadingMaiku-san wa gorufu nakama da.
English MeaningMike-san is my golf pal. (Plain Form)

There is a reason that I use “Mike-san” not “Mike” in the translation.

Japanese Sentenceマイクさんはゴルフ仲間です。
Romaji ReadingMaiku-san wa gorufu nakama desu.
English MeaningMike-san is my golf pal. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentenceなか連携れんけいしてゴールをめた。
Romaji ReadingNakama to renkei shite gōru o kimeta.
English MeaningHe worked with his teammates and scored a goal. (Plain Form)
Japanese Sentence仲間と連携してゴールを決めました。
Romaji ReadingNakama to renkei shite gōru o kimemashita.
English MeaningHe worked with his teammates and scored a goal. (Polite Form)
Japanese Sentence今日きょうはゴルフなか一緒いっしょ那須なすく。
Romaji ReadingKyō wa gorufu nakama to issho ni Nasu ni iku.
English MeaningI’m going to go to Nasu today with my golf buddy. (Plain Form)

There are many golf courses in Nasu. By the way, Nasu is a town in Tochigi prefecture.

Japanese Sentence今日はゴルフ仲間と一緒に那須に行きます。
Romaji ReadingKyō wa gorufu nakama to issho ni Nasu ni ikimasu.
English MeaningI’m going to go to Nasu today with my golf buddy. (Polite Form)

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