一いち面めん識しき

い

ち

め

ん

し

き

Meanings

1

noun

passing acquaintance; slight acquaintance

Used to describe knowing someone only by sight or having met them just once. Often appears in negative constructions like 一面識もない (don't know someone at all).

彼かれとは一いち面めん識しきもない。
I don't know him at all.
一いち面めん識しきの相あい手てに道みちを尋たずねられた。
A stranger asked me for directions.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
面mask, face, features
識discriminating, know, write

Similar words

知ち人じん
知人 implies a more established acquaintance, while 一面識 suggests a very slight or one-time meeting.
顔かお見み知しり
顔見知り means knowing someone by face, often with some familiarity, whereas 一面識 emphasizes the minimal nature of the acquaintance.

Etymology

Compound of 一面 (one meeting/one side) and 識 (acquaintance/knowledge). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from its components.