The Roots of Tomodachi

Hi, sorry I haven't posted anything here for a while. I've been really busy with //learnoutlive.com/japanese , where I'm tutoring Japanese privately. I'll be blunt: I need to do it for more people! EduFire has practically given up the ghost, and Learn Out Live is an exciting young effort with some really great teachers, and I'm glad to be part of the team. Anyway, I've created a whole bunch of lessons that are working extremely well and can get someone out of the "pure beginner" stage in a very effective, brain friendly manner. The secret is good explanations that answer questions even before they're asked. (Also, it helps that I have a ton of in-the-field knowledge and a deep awareness of where the pitfalls for early learners exist.) Anyway, in the middle of creating lesson #11, I realized that I was holding in my hands the twin roots of ともだち (tomodachi), the typical Japanese word for "friend." The roots make it even more interesting than I thought! It sounds deep and profound somehow.