Translation guide
How to express accidentally meeting someone or physically colliding with something in Japanese.
To encounter a person unexpectedly.
A common, natural way to say you ran into someone by chance. Emphasizes the unexpectedness.
昨日、駅で田中さんにばったり会った。
Yesterday I ran into Mr. Tanaka at the station.
A more formal or serious word for encountering someone or something, often used for accidents, disasters, or unexpected meetings.
To hit or bump into an object or person.
To unexpectedly face a problem or obstacle.
A natural way to say you ran into a problem. Uses the physical collision metaphor.
プロジェクトの途中で問題にぶつかった。
We ran into a problem in the middle of the project.
Both mean 'to meet by chance', but ばったり会う emphasizes the suddenness and surprise, while 偶然会う is a more neutral statement of coincidence.
街でばったり会った。
I bumped into him on the street (unexpectedly).
街で偶然会った。
I met him by chance on the street.
The English phrase 'running into' is not translated with 走る (to run). Use the expressions above depending on the context.
山で熊に遭遇した。
I encountered a bear in the mountains.
Literally 'to meet by chance'. Slightly more formal than ばったり会う, but still common.
旅行先で偶然友達に会った。
I ran into a friend by chance at my travel destination.
A somewhat literary or old-fashioned word for encountering someone or something unexpectedly, often with a nuance of trouble.
夜道で変な男に出くわした。
I ran into a strange man on the street at night.
The most common verb for bumping into something or someone. Intransitive; the thing you hit is marked with に.
自転車が壁にぶつかった。
The bicycle ran into the wall.
人にぶつかってしまった。
I accidentally bumped into someone.
A more formal word for collision, used for vehicles, opinions, etc.
車が電柱に衝突した。
The car ran into a utility pole.
To crash into something forcefully, often used for vehicles or diving into something.
トラックが店に突っ込んだ。
A truck ran into the store.
A more formal expression meaning 'to face difficulties'.
彼は多くの困難に直面した。
He ran into many difficulties.
To get caught up in trouble, often implying you were passively involved.
旅行中にトラブルに巻き込まれた。
I ran into trouble during my trip.
I ran to meet my friend. (Not 'ran into')
I ran to meet my friend. (Not 'ran into')