Translation guide
How to express 'associate with' in Japanese, covering socializing, mental connections, and business partnerships.
To hang out with, keep company with, or be in the company of someone.
General verb for associating with someone, spending time together, or keeping company. Can be used for friends, colleagues, or romantic partners.
I've been associating with him for a long time.
You shouldn't associate with bad people.
More formal term for socializing or keeping company, often used for dating or formal relationships.
I'm going out with her.
Literally 'to be together with', a simple and natural way to say you spend time with someone.
He always associates with the same group.
Slang for hanging out with a group, often used among young people or in casual contexts.
He's always hanging out with those guys.
To make a mental connection between things, ideas, or people.
To associate one thing with another in your mind, often used for ideas, images, or memories.
When I hear 'Japan', I associate it with sushi.
Literally 'an image springs to mind', used when something makes you think of something else.
I don't associate anything with that word.
To be connected with an organization, project, or business as a partner or participant.
To form a business partnership or alliance with another company or organization.
Our company is associated with overseas firms.
To be involved with or have a connection to something, often used for projects, events, or groups.
To cooperate or work in partnership with another entity, often in business or technology.
The English 'associate with' can sound formal or distant. In Japanese, 付き合う is the most natural equivalent for everyday socializing. Using 連想する or 提携する in a social context would be incorrect.
付き合う is a broad verb for any kind of association, from friendship to dating. 交際する is more formal and often implies a romantic relationship or a formal social connection.
To link or connect two things in your mind, often implying a logical or causal relationship.
It's hard to associate that incident with his past.
彼はそのプロジェクトに関わっている。
He is associated with that project.
We are conducting research in association with the university.