Word
交際
Meaning in Englishsocial relationship, association, dating
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 交際 mean? It refers to being socially connected or in a relationship with someone, including dating, romantic involvement, or regular social interactions within a circle. In everyday Japanese, it covers romantic courtship as well as companionship or association with others.
Main meanings
- Romantic dating or a romantic relationship between two adults; often used in formal or neutral contexts rather than casual speech.
- General socializing, companionship, and maintaining relations within a circle of friends or colleagues; emphasizes ongoing interaction rather than a one-off date.
- Affiliations or connections with organizations, groups, or other entities; used in more formal or journalistic language to denote associations or links.
How to use it
Used in formal or neutral contexts to denote dating or social relations; paired with する to form 交際する, or with 交際中 to express being in a relationship. In casual speech, people prefer 付き合う for dating and relationship talk; 交際 is common in writing, news, and official communication to describe interpersonal relations or affiliations without slang.
Variants and close terms
- 付き合い (つきあい, tsukiai) — casual dating or socializing
- 親交 (しんこう, shinkō) — cordial friendship or close association, more formal
- 関係 (かんけい, kankei) — relationship or connection, broader
- 交流 (こうりゅう, kōryū) — exchange, interaction within a group
Composition
- 交: to intersect or mix; in kanji compounds, the on-reading is こう (kō), conveying interaction or exchange
- 際: occasion or juncture; on-reading さい (sai); together they imply an occasion for interaction, forming a social connection
- When combined as 交際, the characters express a relationship formed through social interaction at a moment or occasion
Word class
noun, suru-verb