面めん識しき

め

ん

し

き

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

acquaintance; personal knowledge of someone

Refers to knowing someone by face or having met them personally, not just knowing of them. Often used in negative forms like 面識がない to indicate no prior personal contact.

彼かれとは面めん識しきがないので、紹しょう介かいしてもらえますか。
I haven't met him personally, so could you introduce me?
面めん識しきのある人ひとだけがパーティーに招しょう待たいされた。
Only people who were personally acquainted were invited to the party.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきがあるto have met and know someone personally
彼かれとは以い前ぜんの会かい議ぎで面めん識しきがある。
I've met him before at a previous meeting.
〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきがないto have never met someone personally
その社しゃ長ちょうとは面めん識しきがない。
I have never met that company president in person.
〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきを持もつto establish a personal acquaintance with someone
取とり引ひき先さきの担たん当とう者しゃと面めん識しきを持もつことは大たい切せつだ。
It's important to have met the contact person at a business partner in person.

Kanji

面mask, face, features
識discriminating, know, write

Related words

知しり合あいN3
知り合い is a casual, general word for someone you know, while 面識 stresses the formal fact of having personally met that person.
知ち人じんN3
知人 is a formal word for an acquaintance in general, whereas 面識 specifically emphasizes having actually met the person face-to-face.
顔かお見み知しり
顔見知り is a casual term for recognizing someone by face without necessarily interacting, while 面識 is more formal and stresses documented personal contact.
近ちかづき
面識 is a formal term meaning simply having met or recognizing someone by face, whereas 近づき (お近づき) emphasizes the polite process of forming a new acquaintance.
見み覚おぼえN1
面識 means you have actually met and are acquainted with a person, whereas 見覚え only means the person's face looks familiar, with no implication of a real relationship.

Opposites

初しょ対たい面めんN2
面識 (がある) means you already know someone's face from a prior meeting, whereas 初対面 means you are meeting them for the first time.

Don't confuse with

認にん識しきN2
認識 means general recognition or awareness of something, while 面識 specifically refers to having personally met a person face-to-face; the two share the kanji 識 but differ in meaning.

Word family

半はん面めん識しき
slight acquaintance

Etymology

Compound of 面 (face) and 識 (knowledge, acquaintance), literally 'face-knowledge'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning has been stable in modern Japanese.

Meanings

noun

acquaintance; personal knowledge of someone

Refers to knowing someone by face or having met them personally, not just knowing of them. Often used in negative forms like 面識がない to indicate no prior personal contact.

彼かれとは面めん識しきがないので、紹しょう介かいしてもらえますか。
I haven't met him personally, so could you introduce me?
面めん識しきのある人ひとだけがパーティーに招しょう待たいされた。
Only people who were personally acquainted were invited to the party.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきがあるto have met and know someone personally

彼かれとは以い前ぜんの会かい議ぎで面めん識しきがある。

I've met him before at a previous meeting.

〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきがないto have never met someone personally

その社しゃ長ちょうとは面めん識しきがない。

I have never met that company president in person.

〈人ひと〉と面めん識しきを持もつto establish a personal acquaintance with someone

取とり引ひき先さきの担たん当とう者しゃと面めん識しきを持もつことは大たい切せつだ。

It's important to have met the contact person at a business partner in person.

Related words

知しり合あいN3

知り合い is a casual, general word for someone you know, while 面識 stresses the formal fact of having personally met that person.

知ち人じんN3

知人 is a formal word for an acquaintance in general, whereas 面識 specifically emphasizes having actually met the person face-to-face.

顔かお見み知しり

顔見知り is a casual term for recognizing someone by face without necessarily interacting, while 面識 is more formal and stresses documented personal contact.

近ちかづき

面識 is a formal term meaning simply having met or recognizing someone by face, whereas 近づき (お近づき) emphasizes the polite process of forming a new acquaintance.

見み覚おぼえN1

面識 means you have actually met and are acquainted with a person, whereas 見覚え only means the person's face looks familiar, with no implication of a real relationship.