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.
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.
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.
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.
I ran into a strange man on the street at night.
To hit or bump into an object or person.
The most common verb for bumping into something or someone. Intransitive; the thing you hit is marked with に.
The bicycle ran into the wall.
A more formal word for collision, used for vehicles, opinions, etc.
The car ran into a utility pole.
To crash into something forcefully, often used for vehicles or diving into something.
To unexpectedly face a problem or obstacle.
A natural way to say you ran into a problem. Uses the physical collision metaphor.
We ran into a problem in the middle of the project.
A more formal expression meaning 'to face difficulties'.
To get caught up in trouble, often implying you were passively involved.
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.
I bumped into him on the street (unexpectedly).
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.
I ran to meet my friend. (Not 'ran into')
I accidentally bumped into someone.
トラックが店に突っ込んだ。
A truck ran into the store.
He ran into many difficulties.
I ran into trouble during my trip.