面識(めんしき)

めんしき
noun
acquaintance; personal knowledge of someone
formalcommunication
1. acquaintance; personal knowledge of someone
Having met someone in person and being able to recognize them. Almost always used with ある or ない to indicate whether one knows someone personally.
彼(かれ)とは面識(めんしき)がない。
I don't know him personally.
面識(めんしき)のある方(かた)に紹介(しょうかい)された。
I was introduced by someone I already knew.
被害者(ひがいしゃ)と容疑者(ようぎしゃ)の間(あいだ)には面識(めんしき)がなかったとされている。
It is said that the victim and the suspect did not know each other personally.

Almost always appears in the patterns 面識(めんしき)がある (to know someone personally) and 面識(めんしき)がない (to not know someone personally). Rarely used outside these fixed patterns.

Common collocations

Usage

This is a somewhat formal word frequently seen in news reports and police contexts. In casual speech, 知(し)り合(あ)い (acquaintance) or 会(あ)ったことがある (to have met before) are more natural.

Related Words

Related: 知(し)り合(あ)い (acquaintance (casual))
general
Added 2026.3.3 21:45 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
14500/14782_menshiki