1.
childhood friend, friend from one's early years
A person one has known and been close to since childhood. The relationship implies a deep, long-standing bond that began in one's formative years.
彼は幼馴染だ。
He is my childhood friend.
幼馴染と久しぶりに再会した。
I was reunited with a childhood friend after a long time.
彼女とは幼馴染で、幼稚園の頃から一緒に遊んでいた仲だ。
She and I are childhood friends — we've been playing together since kindergarten.
STRUCTURE:
幼 (young, childish) + 馴染 (familiarity, acquaintance). Also written 幼なじみ or おさななじみ in kana.
USAGE:
幼馴染 specifically refers to a friend known since early childhood, not just any long-term friend. It carries a warm, nostalgic connotation and implies a uniquely close bond. The term is widely used in everyday conversation, literature, and is particularly prominent in manga and anime as a common character archetype — the childhood friend who may also be a romantic interest.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 幼馴染と再会する: to reunite with a childhood friend
- 幼馴染の仲: a childhood friendship
- 幼馴染と結婚する: to marry a childhood friend