会う

Japanese

See also: 合う

Etymology

Kanji in this term
会
あ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
會う (kyūjitai) 逢う遭う遇う (rare)

Inherited from Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *ap-. Further etymology uncertain. Theories of earliest origin include:^[1]

Imitative of the upper and lower lips meeting
Shortened from 二肖経 (フタアエフ futa aefu, two go-together)
Shortened from アアフツ (aa futsu), the latter portion a variant of 二(ふた)つ (futatsu, “two”)
Either 間(あい) (ai, “relation”) → 逢(あふ) (afu, “meeting”) → 会(あう) (au) or 逢(あふ) (afu) → 間(あい) (ai) → 会(あう) (au)

Various forms of あう (合, 会, 逢, 遭; “join; be together; meet”) are attested from the Middle Ages (c. 1185-1573).^[1] Compare 合(あ)う (au).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) あう [áꜜù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]^[3]^[1]
IPA^(key): [a̠ɯ̟]
Audio: (file)

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 会う

Plain	会う	あう	`[áꜜù]`
Conjunctive	会って	あって	`[áꜜttè]`
Perfective	会った	あった	`[áꜜttà]`
Negative	会わない	あわない	`[àwáꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	会わなかった	あわなかった	`[àwáꜜnàkàttà]`
Hypothetical conditional	会えば	あえば	`[áꜜèbà]`
Past conditional	会ったら	あったら	`[áꜜttàrà]`
Imperative	会え	あえ	`[áꜜè]`
Volitional	会おう	あおー	`[àóꜜò]`
Desiderative	会いたい	あいたい	`[àítáꜜì]`
Formal	会います	あいます	`[àímáꜜsù]`
Formal negative	会いません	あいません	`[àímáséꜜǹ]`
Formal volitional	会いましょう	あいましょー	`[àímáshóꜜò]`
Formal perfective	会いました	あいました	`[àímáꜜshìtà]`
Continuative	会い会いに	あいあいに	`[áꜜì]` `[áꜜì nì]`
Negative continuative	会わず会わずに	あわずあわずに	`[àwáꜜzù]` `[àwáꜜzù nì]`
Passive	会われる	あわれる	`[àwáréꜜrù]`
Causative	会わせる会わす	あわせるあわす	`[àwáséꜜrù]` `[àwáꜜsù]`
Potential	会える	あえる	`[àéꜜrù]`

(Kyoto) あう [àú] (Teiki – [0])^[4]^[1]

Verb

会(あ)う • (au) ^{←あふ (afu)^?}intransitive godan (stem 会(あ)い (ai), past 会(あ)った (atta))

to meet with, see, meet again or for the first time
会(あ)いたい ― aitai ― I miss you (literally, “I want to meet up [with you again]”)

会(あ)いたかったんだ ― aitakatta n da ― I wanted to see [you again]; I'd missed you

友(とも)達(だち)に会(あ)えなくなる
tomodachi ni aenakunaru
to become unable to see one's friends
- 1923, Yumeno Kyūsaku, 約束 [Yakusoku]:
  
  ある人(ひと)が橋(はし)の下(した)で友(とも)達(だち)に会(あ)う約(やく)束(そく)をして待(ま)っていた。
  Aru hito ga hashi no shita de tomodachi ni au yakusoku o shite matte ita.
  This person had arranged to meet their friend under a bridge and was waiting for them there.
- 2016, Makoto Shinkai, director, 君の名は。 [Your Name. (Kimi no na wa)], spoken by Taki Tachibana (Mone Kamishiraishi), Toho:
  
  三(さん)年(ねん)前(まえ)…お前(まえ)はあの時(とき)　俺(おれ)に…会(あ)いに来(き)たんだ！
  San-nen mae… o-mae wa ano toki ore ni… ai ni kita nda!
  Three years ago… I remember now… you came to see me!
to come across, meet by accident, bump into
Synonym: 出会う (deau)
- 1929, Takiji Kobayashi, 不在地主 [Absentee Landlord (Fuzai jinushi)]:
  
  誰(だれ)とも道(みち)で会(あ)わねばええな。
  Dare to mo michi de awaneba ē na.
  Let's hope you don't bump into anyone on the road.
to gather, to come together
to receive guests etc.

Conjugation

Conjugation of "会う" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	会わ	あわ	awa
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	会い	あい	ai
Shūshikei ("terminal")	会う	あう	au
Rentaikei ("attributive")	会う	あう	au
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	会え	あえ	ae
Meireikei ("imperative")	会え	あえ	ae
Key constructions
Passive	会われる	あわれる	awareru
Causative	会わせる会わす	あわせるあわす	awaseru awasu
Potential	会える	あえる	aeru
Volitional	会おう	あおう	aō
Negative	会わない	あわない	awanai
Negative continuative	会わず	あわず	awazu
Formal	会います	あいます	aimasu
Perfective	会った	あった	atta
Conjunctive	会って	あって	atte
Hypothetical conditional	会えば	あえば	aeba

Classical conjugation of "会ふ" (ハ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	会は	あは	afa
Continuative (連用形)	会ひ	あひ	afi
Terminal (終止形)	会ふ	あふ	afu
Attributive (連体形)	会ふ	あふ	afu
Realis (已然形)	会へ	あへ	afe
Imperative (命令形)	会へ	あへ	afe
Key constructions
Negative	会はず	あはず	afazu
Contrasting conjunction	会へど	あへど	afedo
Causal conjunction	会へば	あへば	afeba
Conditional conjunction	会はば	あはば	afaba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	会ひき	あひき	afiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	会ひけり	あひけり	afikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	会ひつ	あひつ	afitu
Perfect tense (natural event)	会ひぬ	あひぬ	afinu
Perfect-continuative tense	会へり会ひたり	あへりあひたり	aferi afitari
Volitional	会はむ	あはむ	afamu

Synonyms

(to meet): (humble) お目(め)にかかる (omenikakaru)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “あ・う［あふ］【合・会・逢・遭】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Nakai, Yukihiko, editor (2002), 京阪系アクセント辞典 [A Dictionary of Tone on Words of the Keihan-type Dialects] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Bensei, →ISBN

“会う”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

[NKD2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “あ・う［あふ］【合・会・逢・遭】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[4] Nakai, Yukihiko, editor (2002), 京阪系アクセント辞典 [A Dictionary of Tone on Words of the Keihan-type Dialects] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Bensei, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]