Word
遭う
Meaning in Englishencounter something bad, meet with trouble
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Word context
What it means
遭う means to experience or undergo something unpleasant that happens to oneself, especially accidents, disasters, or misfortunes, often with に indicating the experience.
Main meanings
- to experience or suffer an undesirable event, such as an accident, disaster, or misfortune
- to come across or meet something unexpectedly, typically used with more formal terms like 遭遇する
How to use it
Used in both speech and writing to express personal experience of negative events; with に after the event noun (事故に遭う、災難に遭う). More formal or literary when paired with 遭遇 or in news reporting; not used for meeting people (出会う is preferred).
Variants and close terms
- 出会う (deau) — encounter, usually with people
- 遭遇する (sougū suru) — to encounter, to come across; formal
- 経験する (keiken suru) — to experience; broader, non-specific
- 不運に遭う (fuun ni au) — to suffer misfortune
Composition
- 遭 offers the core meaning of meeting or encountering; the verb ending う marks the dictionary form of the verb; 辶 suggests motion or moving toward an encounter
Word class
Verb (intransitive), godan (五段活用)
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