As you have done it. If you want to specify the gender, you could say male or female friend - this would show there's no romantic involvement. You would just call them a friend if there's no romantic connection and the gender doesn't matter. You would modify it if there was a romantic connection - boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, etc. Usually, we rely on context to show their gender (if it's important) as saying male/female/etc. friend sounds a bit awkward. The name often tells us: My friend John ... My friend Susan ...

In the UK and across Western Europe/ the US, actually we would just say 'friend', because no one minds the sex of your friend. Men and women are often friends with each other and so there is rarely a need to specify if the friend is male or female. However, I know that in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world, it's better to explain the sex of the person, to avoid any jealousy, gossip etc, so in this case you can say 'my female friend' or my 'male friend' to make it clear this person is not a boyfriend/ girlfriend ;)

To specify that someone is a non-romantic friend you can say: She's a platonic friend. / She's a friends--it's purely platonic. OR We're just friends.

To avoid any confusion about whether your friendship is romantic, you can use neutral terms that emphasize the platonic nature of the relationship. Here are some options: 1. For a female friend: * "Friend" (simply stating the friendship is clear) * "Close friend" (if you want to emphasize the closeness without implying romance) * "Best friend" (if that’s the case) * "Buddy" (informal and friendly) 2. For a male friend: * "Friend" * "Close friend" * "Best friend" * "Mate" (common in British English, can be used for any gender) * "Buddy" These terms are widely understood as referring to platonic relationships and are less likely to cause confusion about romantic involvement.