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I've seen nakama used in One Piece a lot, but I've learned tomodachi in my
text book. Is there a different in usage?
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meaning nouns
What is the difference between 仲間 and 友達?
I think the word "Tomodachi" often represents people the person is close with
who are of (approximately) the same age.

By contrast, the word "Nakama" often represents someone with whom the person
shares a goal or an acquaintance.
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As far as I can see, 仲間 is used more as company or partnership. For example

> あの 人たちは 釣り 仲間 です。Remarking their role as fishing partners, and that you
> often fish with them.
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2015-02-25T14:53:34.840
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It's a question of degree. 友達 is pretty much anyone you hang out with on a
regular basis; 仲間 is a much closer relationship, almost like 'someone you
choose to share your life with'. 仲間 also seems to have a sense of 'doing
things together' or 'working towards a common goal' which is absent from 友達.

The context of shounen manga gives a nice demonstration of one boundary
between the two. The protagonist's 仲間 are in effect the other main characters
- the people that travel with him and work together with him to do whatever it
is he's doing. His 友達 are all the other people he knows and likes - the ones
that he'll hang out with if he comes across them, but they're not constantly
with him and they're off doing their own things.

It's a distinction English doesn't make, so it's hard to think about when
you're not used to it.
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仲間: People who share the same goal and work/struggle/fight together in a group
or organization. They often can be your close friends, too, but that's not
necessary. A person whom you personally dislike, or whom you don't even know,
can sometimes be your 仲間. In _One Piece_ [it sounds
dramatic](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/21515/5010) because it's about
people who share the same destiny, literally in the same boat. That won't
happen often in real life. 仲間になってくれ means "Join us," but not "Be my (personal)
friend."

友達: A friend. Something based on personal feelings of intimacy or affection.
You don't have to do something special with your 友達. They can be someone you
haven't met for a long time.
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In addition to blutorange's link, there's also a [discussion
here](http://blog.codebook-10000.com/entry/20131218/1387374361). Since it is
in Japanese, let me just roughly translate the last part, which gives
dictionary definitions of each term:

Tomodachi - A person with whom one reciprocates trust, and treats as an equal.
Someone close that one hangs out with and chats with.

Nakama (first 3 entries)

  1. a relationship of doing things together, or such a person
  2. people of the same occupation, status, etc
  3. things of the same kind/category
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