目にあう · godan verb (-u)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 目にあう | 目にあわない |
| Polite | 目にあいます | 目にあいません |
| Past polite | 目にあいました | 目にあいませんでした |
| Past | 目にあった | 目にあわなかった |
| Te-form | 目にあって | 目にあわないで |
| Desire | 目にあいたい | 目にあいたくない |
| Potential | 目にあえる | 目にあえない |
| Passive | 目にあわれる | 目にあわれない |
| Causative | 目にあわせる | 目にあわせない |
| Causative passive | 目にあわせられるalso 目にあわされる | 目にあわせられないalso 目にあわされない |
| Volitional | 目にあおう | |
| Polite volitional | 目にあいましょう | |
| Imperative | 目にあえ | 目にあうな |
| Conditional | 目にあえば | 目にあわなければ |
| Tara conditional | 目にあったら | 目にあわなかったら |
experience something unpleasant; go through; suffer
Used when someone undergoes a bad or difficult experience. Often follows a noun describing the hardship, e.g., ひどい目にあう (have a terrible experience).
I had a terrible experience during the trip and don't want to go again.
He fell victim to a scam and suffered the experience of losing a large sum of money.
Standard kanji-kana spelling for this expression.
Alternative spelling using 遭う, which emphasizes encountering something unpleasant.
Irregular kanji usage; 会う normally means 'to meet' and is not standard here.
The expression combines 目 (eye) with あう (to meet/encounter), literally 'to meet with one's eyes', figuratively meaning to experience something firsthand, especially something unpleasant.