Why does 子供たち mean children while 友達 can mean 1 friend?


たち is a **pluralizing** suffix. So, 猫たち means cat **s** , 子供たち means
**children** and 人たち means **people**.

Why can 友達 mean 1 friend, even though there is the word 友 meaning **a**
friend?

(I see that 達 in 友達 is not written using kana, unlike たち in, say, 猫たち. But
originally the suffix used to be written as 達 even in words like 子供たち, didn't
it?)

