มิตร

Explanation

มิตร is a noun of Pali/Sanskrit origin meaning a friend or friendly party. Used alone, it sounds more formal and literary than the everyday word เพื่อน. It commonly appears in expressions such as มิตรแท้ “true friend,” มิตรภาพ “friendship,” and ผูกมิตร “establish friendly relations.” In the construction เป็นมิตร, it means “to be friendly” or “to be welcoming.” เป็นมิตรกับ is generally used for being friendly toward a person, while เป็นมิตรต่อ can describe consideration for or lack of harm to something. For example, เป็นมิตรต่อสิ่งแวดล้อม means “environmentally friendly.” The classifier for people referred to as มิตร is คน.

Usage

It is used in writing, sayings, slogans, and speeches about friendship and trust. It also appears in diplomatic or organizational contexts and when contrasting friends or allies with enemies. In everyday contexts, the construction เป็นมิตร is especially common for describing a welcoming attitude or something designed with people or the environment in mind.

Caution

For an ordinary friend in everyday conversation, เพื่อน is usually more natural than มิตร. To say that someone or something is friendly, use เป็นมิตร rather than using มิตร alone as an adjective.

1 friend synonyms

• สหาย

  sahǎay close friend

  สหาย is a formal word for a friend or companion and can suggest a comrade. มิตร emphasizes goodwill or friendly relations and also appears in common expressions such as เป็นมิตร.

• เพื่อน

  phʉ̂an friend

  เพื่อน is the ordinary everyday word for a friend. มิตร sounds more formal and is especially common in writing, speeches, slogans, and established expressions.