幼おさななじみ

お

さ

な

じ

み

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

childhood friend; old playmate

Refers to a friend one has known since early childhood, often with a sense of deep familiarity.

彼かの女じょは私わたしの幼おさななじみで、幼よう稚ち園えんからずっと一いっ緒しょです。
She is my childhood friend; we've been together since kindergarten.
幼おさななじみと久

ひさ

しぶり

に

会あ

っ

て

、

昔むかし

話ばなし

に

花はな

が

咲さ

い

た

。

I met my old playmate after a long time, and we talked endlessly about the old days.

Written forms

幼なじみUsage59%
- おさななじみ
  Most common spelling; uses the standard reading おさななじみ.
- おさなじみ
  irregular kana usage
幼馴染Usage21%
- おさななじみ
  Kanji spelling using 馴染; less common but still seen.
- おさなじみ
  irregular kana usage
幼馴染みUsage19%
- おさななじみ
  Variant with okurigana み; less common.
- おさなじみ
  irregular kana usage
おさななじみUsage2%
Kana spelling; used when avoiding kanji or for clarity.
おさなじみ
irregular kana usage

Kanji

幼infancy, childhood
馴get used to, experienced, tamed
染dye, color, paint

Similar words

友とも達だち
友達 is a general term for 'friend' without specifying the length of the relationship. 幼なじみ specifically implies a friend from early childhood.
親しん友ゆう
親友 means 'close friend' or 'best friend', focusing on the depth of the current relationship rather than its origin in childhood.

Etymology

Compound of 幼 (おさな, 'childhood') and 馴染み (なじみ, 'familiarity, acquaintance'). The reading おさななじみ is the standard form; the variant おさなじみ is an irregular contraction.