会う
au[a̠ɯ̟]
To meet in Japanese is 会う (au).
The verb 会う is used when you come face to face with someone by arrangement.
Meaning: to come face to face with someone by arrangement (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use 会う for meetings that are planned or arranged. This is distinct from 出会う, which is used to describe meeting someone by chance or a fateful encounter.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
会う is a common verb used in casual or informal situations. For more formal contexts, you may use お目にかかる. If you are speaking to someone of higher status or a client, use the humble form お会いする. When you want to politely express that you want to meet someone, particularly in business or formal correspondence, use お会いしたいです.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use this verb, the person you are meeting is marked with the particle に instead of を.
How do you pronounce it?
au
Did you know?
- One theory suggests that the origin of 会う is imitative, mimicking the way the upper and lower lips touch when speaking.
- In formal Japanese, the humble phrase お目にかかる literally means 'to get into someone's eyes'.
- If you meet an accident or a disaster, you would not typically use 会う, but rather verbs like 遭う which imply encountering something unavoidable or unfortunate.
Examples in context
- 私は明日彼に会う。I'm going to meet him tomorrow.This sentence shows how to use 会う to express a future meeting with someone.Tatoeba #152605 by tommy_san, translation #323456 by CK
- 会うは別れの始め。We never meet without parting.This sentence uses 会う in a proverb about parting.Tatoeba #185457 by KK_kaku_, translation #22589 by Hautis
- 僕らは２時半に会う。We'll meet at 2:30.This sentence shows how to use 会う when specifying a meeting time.Tatoeba #8002482 by Ninja, translation #7995619 by CK
- 82 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are making plans to meet at a station.
- 大翔 Hiroto駅で会う？Eki de au?Shall we meet at the station?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、そこで会おう。Un, soko de aou.Yes, let's meet there.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さんは何時がいい？Yui-san wa nanji ga ii?What time is good for you, Yui?
- 結衣 Yui大翔君、６時でいいよ。Hiroto-kun, rokuji de ii yo.Hiroto, 6 o'clock is fine.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 会う, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 会う, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
