What is the difference between "あいます", "会う", "出会う", "出迎える", "謦咳に接する"?

"あいます" means "to meet, to see (a person)", "会う" means "to meet", "出会う" means "to meet (by chance); to encounter", "出迎える" means "to meet; to greet (a visitor, etc.)", "謦咳に接する" means "to meet and talk with a respected person; to receive instruction directly from a master (humble expression)".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "あいます", "会う", "出会う", "出迎える", "謦咳に接する"

All represent the core concept "meet", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

あいます

あいます (aimasu)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

会う

あう (au)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

出会う

であう (deau)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

出迎える

でむかえる (demukaeru)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

謦咳に接する

謦咳に接する(けいがいにせっする)

C2PLUS / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "meet" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "あいます", "会う", "出会う", "出迎える", "謦咳に接する" based on context.

あいます (あいます (aimasu) - Level: N5): Maps to "to meet, to see (a person)" and is used when The polite form of 会う.
会う (あう (au) - Level: N5): Maps to "to meet" and is used when Used for meeting people. The particle is usually 「に」.
出会う (であう (deau) - Level: N3): Maps to "to meet (by chance); to encounter" and is used when Intransitive verb. Implies a chance encounter or meeting someone/something unexpectedly. Often used with に.
出迎える (でむかえる (demukaeru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to meet; to greet (a visitor, etc.)" and is used when Transitive verb. Specifically means to go out to meet someone who is arriving.
謦咳に接する (謦咳に接する(けいがいにせっする) - Level: C2PLUS): Maps to "to meet and talk with a respected person; to receive instruction directly from a master (humble expression)" and is used when Essential structural term in CEFR C2PLUS vocabulary syllabus..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "あいます"

週末に友達にあいます。

I meet my friend on the weekend.

Context for "会う"

明日、友達に会います。

I will meet my friend tomorrow.

Context for "出会う"

彼は駅で偶然、昔の友人と出会った。

He coincidentally met an old friend at the station.

Context for "出迎える"

空港まで客を出迎えに行きました。

I went to the airport to meet the guest.

Context for "謦咳に接する"

毎日、日本語を練習するために謦咳に接する。

Every day, I meet and talk with a respected person; to receive instruction directly from a master (humble expression) to practice Japanese.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "週末に友達に＿＿＿。" (Meaning: "I meet my friend on the weekend.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "あいます" is correct here because it represents "to meet, to see (a person)" in the context: "I meet my friend on the weekend.".