How do you say "Let’s be friends." in Japanese?

"Let’s be friends." in Japanese is "友だちになろう。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Let’s be friends.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "友だちになろう。" mean in English?

"友だちになろう。" means "Let’s be friends." in English. Usage tip: Use [Aに なる] for "become A," so [友だちになろう] is literally "let's become friends." You can swap in other nouns the same way, like [常連になった] = "I became a regular."

友だちになろう。

tomodachi ni narou

[toh-moh-dah-chee nee nah-roh]

💬 Usage Tip: Use [Aになる] for "become A," so [友だちになろう] is literally "let's become friends." You can swap in other nouns the same way, like [常連になった] = "I became a regular."

🇯🇵 In Japan: [友だちになろう。] is understandable, but saying it this directly can sound a bit stronger or more childlike than in English. Adults in Japan more often just keep chatting, swap contacts, or say something softer like [また話そう] or [今度いっしょに行こう].

Phrase Breakdown

友だち

tomodachi

[toh-moh-dah-chee]

friend

友だち means “friend.” In this phrase, it’s what you’re proposing to become.

Example

友だちになろう。

Let’s be friends.

に

[nee]

(particle) into; to; (marks the result of becoming)

Marks the target/result in 〜になる: 友だちに (“into friends / as friends”).

Example

友だちになろう。

Let’s be friends.

なろう

narou

[nah-roh]

let’s become; shall we become?

Volitional of なる. A friendly suggestion; here it means “Let’s be friends.”

Example

友だちになろう。

Let’s be friends.

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