intimately; sitting knee to knee
Describes a close, face-to-face conversation or interaction, often with a sense of openness and sincerity. Literally 'with knees touching', it evokes a private, comfortable setting.
I had an intimate talk with a friend, sitting close together.
Time spent talking intimately, knee to knee, is precious.
Standard kanji spelling for this expression.
Kana spelling is common in casual writing.
From 膝 (knee) + を + 交えて (te-form of 交える 'to mix, to cross'), literally 'crossing knees', describing the posture of sitting very close together.