Translation guide
The English word 'meeting' covers a wide range of gatherings, from formal business meetings to casual encounters. In Japanese, the appropriate word depends heavily on the context, purpose, and formality of the gathering. This guide helps learners choose the right expression.
I have a meeting at 3 PM.
Nice to meet you.
A scheduled gathering for discussion, decision-making, or reporting, typically in a professional setting.
The most common word for a formal meeting in a business or organizational context. It implies a structured gathering with an agenda.
Tomorrow's meeting is from 10 o'clock.
A loanword from English, often used for less formal, smaller, or more collaborative meetings, especially in modern office settings. It can sound more casual than 会議.
A meeting for coordination or discussion, often informal and among colleagues. It focuses on aligning plans or sharing information.
An informal meeting with friends, acquaintances, or for social purposes.
Meeting someone by chance or having a planned encounter with a person.
The basic verb for meeting or seeing someone. It can be used for both planned and chance encounters.
Meeting someone for the first time, often in a formal or polite context.
The standard greeting used when meeting someone for the first time. It literally means 'for the first time' and is part of a self-introduction.
A gathering for athletic competition, such as a track meet or swim meet.
A general term for a tournament, competition, or meet. Used for sports and other competitive events.
The meeting was postponed.
Please prepare the materials for the meeting.
Today's meeting ended quickly.
Let's have a meeting about the project.
A general word for a gathering or get-together, often casual and social. It can refer to any group of people coming together.
There's a small gathering at a friend's house tonight.
A somewhat formal word for a meeting or assembly, but can be used for social clubs or interest groups. Less common for purely casual friend meetups.
The book club meeting is on the first Saturday of every month.
Short for 'offline meeting', used for real-life gatherings of people who originally connected online (e.g., social media, forums).
There's a meetup for the game next week.
昨日、駅で田中さんに会いました。
I met Mr. Tanaka at the station yesterday.
I'm planning to meet a friend tomorrow.
Implies a chance or fateful encounter, often with a nuance of meeting for the first time or unexpectedly.
I met a wonderful person on my trip.
A formal or literary word for encountering something, often negative or unexpected (e.g., difficulties, accidents). Not used for casual meetings.
We encountered a bear while mountain climbing.
Nice to meet you, I'm Tanaka.
A polite expression meaning 'I'm glad to meet you.' Used after initial introductions.
I'm pleased to meet you.
There's a swim meet next month.
Specifically an athletic meet or competition. More formal and often used in official contexts.
I won the track and field meet.
team meeting
Let's decide on a time for the coordination meeting.
Using 会議 for a casual get-together with friends sounds overly formal and strange. Use 集まり or simply describe the activity.
We met at a coffee shop.