Translation guide
A close friend or companion, often with a nuance of shared interests or mutual benefit. In Japanese, the translation depends heavily on context, relationship, and formality.
To refer to a close friend in everyday conversation, without negative connotations.
A close friend; implies a deep, trusting relationship. Common and natural.
He is my close friend.
A good friend; often used for children or in casual contexts. Can also describe a close relationship.
She and I have been close friends since childhood.
General word for friend. To emphasize closeness, add modifiers like 大の (だいの) or とても親しい (とてもしたしい).
He is a very close friend.
To refer to a close companion in a very casual, often masculine way.
Slang for friend, derived from 友達 (ともだち). Common among young men.
That guy is my buddy.
Partner, sidekick; implies a strong bond, often used in buddy cop or adventure contexts.
Slang for companion, often used in Kansai region. Can sound rough.
To express the negative nuance of 'crony' as an accomplice or member of a clique involved in shady dealings.
Bad companion; a friend who leads one astray. Fits the negative 'crony' sense well.
He is known as a crony of the politician.
Entourage, hangers-on; implies a group surrounding a powerful person for personal gain.
A gang, a clique; often used for criminal associates.
To describe the system where friends of politicians receive unfair advantages.
Directly translating 'crony' as クローニー is not natural in Japanese. Use context-appropriate terms instead.
親友 implies a deep, lifelong bond. 仲良し is lighter and often used for children or casual friendships. 友達 is the general term; add modifiers to emphasize closeness.
彼は俺の相棒だ。
He's my partner/buddy.
Going out for drinks with my buddy.
社長の取り巻き連中
the president's cronies
He is one of the swindler's cronies.
That policy is nothing but crony capitalism.