今夜会おう
kon'ya aō
The English phrase "see you tonight" can be translated into Japanese as 今夜会おう (kon'ya aō).
This phrase is a casual way to say goodbye to someone you expect to meet later in the evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 今夜 (kon'ya), meaning "tonight" and 会おう (aō), which is the volitional form of the verb "to meet".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To say "let's meet tonight" more politely, use the form 今夜会いましょう (kon'ya aimashō) instead of the casual 今夜会おう.
How do you pronounce it?
kon'ya aō
Did you know?
- The phrase 今夜会おう (kon'ya aō) is more common in manga and films than in street speech. In daily life, it can sound overly dramatic or scripted.
- To avoid sounding too presumptive or overly certain about future plans, Japanese speakers often prefer the vague またね (mata ne), meaning 'see you again', over specifying a time like 'tonight'.
- While 会う (au) means 'to meet' in this phrase, it is never used to describe meeting a deadline or goal. For those meanings, Japanese uses a different verb, 満たす (mitasu) or 間に合わせる (maniawaseru).
Examples in context
- 約束通り、今夜会おう。Yakusoku doori, konya aou.As promised, see you tonight.
Example conversation
Two friends are parting ways after a morning class.
- 健太 Kenta今日の授業は疲れたね。Kyou no jugyou wa tsukareta ne.Today's class was tiring, wasn't it?
- 結衣 Yui本当だね。ゆっくり休もう。Hontou da ne. Yukkuri yasumou.It really was. Let's get some rest.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、今夜会おう！Jaa, konya aou!Well, see you tonight!
- 結衣 Yuiうん、楽しみにしてるよ。Un, tanoshimi ni shiteru yo.Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
