Translation guide
The English word "visit" covers a wide range of situations, from dropping by a friend's house to touring a famous site or attending an event. Japanese uses different words depending on the purpose, formality, and whether you are going to see a person or a place. This guide breaks down the most common ways to express "visit" naturally.
visit (a friend's house)
Casual, for social visits.
visit (a person formally)
Formal, often for business or official calls.
Going to someone's home or meeting them casually for fun.
I'm going to visit my friend. · Come visit me sometime!
The most natural way to say you're going to visit a friend for fun. Literally 'go to play', but used for all ages in casual contexts.
I'm going to visit a friend's house this weekend.
He came to visit yesterday.
A general verb for visiting someone, slightly more neutral than 遊びに行く. Can be used for both casual and slightly formal situations.
I visited my grandmother for the first time in a while.
Formal 'visit', often used for business, official calls, or scheduled visits. Too stiff for casual friend visits.
I'm scheduled to visit a client next week.
Going to a famous place, landmark, or city as a tourist.
I visited the Eiffel Tower. · We're visiting Rome this summer.
Literally 'go sightseeing'. The standard way to say you're visiting a place for tourism.
I want to visit Kyoto for sightseeing.
Do you have time to visit (sightsee in) Tokyo?
A slightly literary or formal word for visiting a place. Often used in travel writing or polite speech.
Many tourists visit this temple.
Simply 'go'. In context, it often implies visiting a place, especially when the destination is clear.
I plan to visit Japan next year.
A short, often unannounced visit to a place or person.
I'll visit the store on my way back. · Let's drop by the café.
To stop by, drop in. Used for quick visits on the way to somewhere else.
I'll stop by the convenience store on the way home.
Can I drop by a friend's house for a bit?
Similar to 寄る but slightly more formal. Often used for stopping by a place during a trip.
I dropped by my parents' house while on a business trip.
Going to a religious site for prayer or sightseeing.
We visited the famous temple in Asakusa. · Many people visit the shrine during New Year's.
Going to a family grave to pay respects.
We visit the grave every year.
The specific phrase for visiting a grave, often during Obon or anniversaries.
I visit the family grave during Obon.
Accessing a website or webpage.
Visit our homepage for more info. · The site gets thousands of visits a day.
A scheduled, often ceremonial visit by an official or business representative.
The delegation will visit the factory. · We had a visit from the mayor.
訪ねる (tazuneru) is a general-purpose verb for visiting someone, suitable for both casual and semi-formal situations. 訪問する (hōmon suru) is strictly formal and often implies a scheduled appointment. 遊びに行く (asobi ni iku) is casual and implies a social, fun visit. Avoid 訪問する when talking about visiting friends casually.
English uses 'visit' for many situations where Japanese uses a more specific verb or phrase. For example, 'visit a doctor' is usually 病院に行く (go to the hospital/clinic) or 診察を受ける (receive a medical examination), not 医者を訪問する. Similarly, 'visit a restaurant' is simply 食べに行く (go to eat).
I'm going to visit my friend in Osaka.
Literally 'go to meet my friend in Osaka'. More natural than using a direct 'visit' verb.
We visited the museum yesterday.
Simply 'went to the museum' is the most natural way.