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逢引 (あいびき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
clandestine meeting ; lovers' rendezvous ; tryst
dated term
Dated term for a secret meeting between lovers. Often carries a romantic, old-fashioned, or literary feel. In modern Japanese, 密会 (みっかい) is more common for secret meetings in general, while 逢引 specifically evokes a romantic tryst.
That novel often features scenes of young lovers' clandestine meetings.
Written forms 逢あい 引びき Usage 26%
Standard kanji spelling for this dated term.
逢あい 引び き Usage 28%
Variant spelling without the い in the middle.
逢あ い 引び き Usage 20%
Alternate spelling with okurigana, also encountered.
あいびき Usage 13%
Kana spelling, useful for learners and when the kanji are obscure.
逢あ いびき Usage 9%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kanji form; not a standard spelling.
媾曳あいびき Usage 4%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
媾曳あいび き
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form with okurigana.
Similar words 密みっ 会かい 密会 is a more general term for a secret meeting, not necessarily romantic. 逢引 is specifically a lovers' tryst and has a dated, literary nuance.
デート デート is a modern, casual term for a date. 逢引 implies secrecy and an old-fashioned romantic atmosphere.
Etymology 逢 (あい, 'meeting') + 引 (びき, from 引く, 'to pull, draw'). The combination suggests drawing someone aside for a secret meeting. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since the Edo period to refer to lovers' clandestine encounters.
pull, tug, jerk
