Chinese

Noun

病友

1. wardmate; a friend made while staying at a hospital

Japanese

Etymology

Sinitic compound of 病 ‎(byō, “sick”) +‎ 友 ‎(yū, “friend”). Compare Mandarin 病友 ‎(bìng yoǔ, “wardmate; a friend made in hospital”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• びょうゆう (Heiban)^[1]
• IPA^(key): [bjo̞ːjɯᵝː]

Noun

病友 ‎(hiragana びょうゆう, romaji byōyū, historical hiragana びやういう)

1. a sick friend, a friend who is ill
2. different people who have the same disease (not necessarily friends)

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9

• 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan