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.
午後3時に会議があります。
I have a meeting at 3 PM.
初めまして。
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.
明日の会議は10時からです。
Tomorrow's meeting is from 10 o'clock.
会議の資料を準備してください。
Please prepare the materials for the meeting.
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.
今日のミーティングは短く終わりました。
Today's meeting ended quickly.
A meeting for coordination or discussion, often informal and among colleagues. It focuses on aligning plans or sharing information.
プロジェクトの打ち合わせをしましょう。
Let's have a meeting about the project.
An informal meeting with friends, acquaintances, or for social purposes.
A general word for a gathering or get-together, often casual and social. It can refer to any group of people coming together.
今夜は友達の家で小さな集まりがあります。
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.
Short for 'offline meeting', used for real-life gatherings of people who originally connected online (e.g., social media, forums).
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.
昨日、駅で田中さんに会いました。
I met Mr. Tanaka at the station yesterday.
明日、友達に会う予定です。
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.
A formal or literary word for encountering something, often negative or unexpected (e.g., difficulties, accidents). Not used for casual meetings.
登山中に熊に遭遇した。
We encountered a bear while mountain climbing.
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.
初めまして、田中と申します。
Nice to meet you, I'm Tanaka.
A polite expression meaning 'I'm glad to meet you.' Used after initial introductions.
お会いできて嬉しいです。
I'm pleased to meet you.
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.
来月、水泳の大会があります。
There's a swim meet next month.
Specifically an athletic meet or competition. More formal and often used in official contexts.
会議 is the most formal and structured, often involving decision-making. ミーティング is a casual loanword for collaborative discussions. 打ち合わせ is for coordination and alignment, usually among team members.
重役会議
board meeting
チームミーティング
team meeting
打ち合わせの時間を決めましょう。
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.
会議は延期されました。
The meeting was postponed.
私たちは喫茶店で会いました。
We met at a coffee shop.
読書会の会合は毎月第一土曜日です。
The book club meeting is on the first Saturday of every month.
There's a meetup for the game next week.
I met a wonderful person on my trip.
陸上の競技会で優勝した。
I won the track and field meet.