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.
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.
週末、友達の家に遊びに行く。
I'm going to visit a friend's house this weekend.
昨日、彼が遊びに来た。
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.
Formal 'visit', often used for business, official calls, or scheduled visits. Too stiff for casual friend visits.
来週、取引先を訪問する予定です。
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.
京都に観光に行きたい。
I want to visit Kyoto for sightseeing.
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.
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.
To visit a shrine or temple for worship. The standard term for religious visits.
正月に神社に参拝する。
I visit a shrine on 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.
お盆に墓参りに行く。
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.
The standard term for visiting a website.
詳細は当社のウェブサイトにアクセスしてください。
Please visit our website for details.
A scheduled, often ceremonial visit by an official or business representative.
The delegation will visit the factory. · We had a visit from the mayor.
The standard formal term for official visits.
首相が米国を訪問した。
The prime minister visited the United States.
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.
友達を訪ねる (natural) / 友達を訪問する (too stiff)
visit a friend
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).
大阪の友達に会いに行く。
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.
I visited my grandmother for the first time in a while.
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.
多くの観光客がこの寺を訪れる。
Many tourists visit this temple.
Simply 'go'. In context, it often implies visiting a place, especially when the destination is clear.
来年、日本に行くつもりです。
I plan to visit Japan next year.
I'll stop by the convenience store on the way home.
ちょっと友達の家に寄っていい？
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.
出張のついでに実家に立ち寄った。
I dropped by my parents' house while on a business trip.
A more casual way to say 'go to pray' at a shrine or temple.
合格祈願にお参りに行った。
I went to visit (a shrine) to pray for passing the exam.
Can be used metaphorically for websites, but アクセスする is more common.
多くの人がこのサイトを訪れる。
Many people visit this site.
Used from the perspective of the host: 'to come and visit'. Formal.
社長が来訪される予定です。
The company president is scheduled to visit.