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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'girlfriend' with 女友 (nǚyǒu)

    Existence & Possession

    Explanation

    女友 (nǚyǒu) is a noun meaning "girlfriend." It is a slightly more formal or written alternative to 女朋友 (nǚ péngyou). The male counterpart is 男友 (boyfriend). It is commonly used in news reports and written Chinese.

    Examples

    • 他和女友在一起三年了，打算明年结婚。

      tā hé nǚyǒu zài yīqǐ sān nián le, dǎsuàn míngnián jiéhūn.

      He's been with his girlfriend for three years and plans to get married next year.

    • 听说他新交了一个女友，是他同事。

      tīngshuō tā xīn jiāo le yī gè nǚyǒu, shì tā tóngshì.

      I heard he recently got a new girlfriend; she's his colleague.

    • 他送了女友一束花当生日礼物。

      tā sòng le nǚyǒu yī shù huā dāng shēngrì lǐwù.

      He gave his girlfriend a bouquet of flowers as a birthday gift.

    Expressing 'girlfriend' with 女友 (nǚyǒu) | Chinese Grammar