1.
to come in contact with, to touch, to adjoin
To be physically adjacent to or in contact with something. Also used for encountering information, culture, or experiences.
海に接する町に住んでいる。
I live in a town that borders the sea.
外国の文化に接する機会が増えた。
Opportunities to encounter foreign culture have increased.
自然に接することで心が癒される。
Being in contact with nature heals the mind.
2.
to receive, to treat, to deal with
To interact with or treat a person in a particular manner.
客に丁寧に接する。
To treat customers politely.
子どもには優しく接してください。
Please be gentle with the children.
彼はだれに対しても公平に接する人だ。
He is someone who treats everyone fairly.
USAGE:
A special-class suru verb (not noun + する). Conjugates as 接する, 接して, 接した. Sense 1 covers both physical adjacency and figurative contact (encountering culture, nature, art). Sense 2 focuses on interpersonal treatment and is very common in business and customer service contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- ～に接する: to border, to be adjacent to; to come into contact with
- 人に接する: to deal with people
- 態度で接する: to treat with a certain attitude
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 触れる: to touch (physical contact; also figurative)
- 隣接する: to be adjacent (more formal, physical only)