Translation guide
How to express accidentally meeting someone or physically colliding with something in Japanese.
To encounter a person unexpectedly, without prior arrangement.
The most common and natural way to say 'bump into someone' in the sense of a chance meeting. ばったり is an onomatopoeia for an unexpected encounter.
Yesterday I bumped into Mr. Tanaka at the station.
Literally 'meet by chance'. Slightly more formal than ばったり会う, but still common in conversation.
Last week I bumped into a friend from high school.
Emphasizes the randomness of the encounter. たまたま means 'by chance' or 'coincidentally'.
I bumped into my neighbor by chance at the travel destination.
A somewhat literary or dramatic word for an unexpected encounter, often with a nuance of running into trouble or an unpleasant situation.
I bumped into a bear in the mountains.
To accidentally hit or knock against an object or person with one's body.
The most common verb for physical collision. It is intransitive and takes the particle に for the object hit.
It was dark and I bumped into the wall.
Transitive version of ぶつかる. Used when you hit a part of your body against something, e.g., 'I bumped my head'.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to hit' or 'to strike'. Often used for objects hitting something, but can be used for people bumping into things.
Formal word for 'collide', used for vehicles or serious impacts. Not typically used for minor bumps.
The car bumped into a utility pole.
All three mean 'meet by chance', but ばったり会う is the most colloquial and vivid. 偶然会う is neutral and slightly more formal. たまたま会う emphasizes the randomness and is also conversational.
I bumped into him on the street.
I met him by chance.
I happened to meet him.
ぶつかる only means physical collision. Using it for meeting someone would sound like you literally crashed into them. Use ばったり会う or similar for social encounters.
I bumped into an old friend at the supermarket.
Be careful not to bump into the table.
I bumped into someone and apologized.
頭を棚にぶつけた。
I bumped my head on the shelf.
ボールが頭に当たった。
The ball bumped into my head.