1.
to approach; to come near; to draw close
To move physically closer to someone or something. Can also be used figuratively for approaching a topic or person emotionally. An intransitive godan verb with the ～に particle marking the target.
猫がそっと近寄ってきた。
A cat quietly came close.
あの建物には近寄らないほうがいい。
You'd better not go near that building.
見知らぬ人が近寄ってきたので、少し警戒した。
A stranger approached me, so I became a little wary.
USAGE:
The target of approach is marked with に: ～に近寄る. Often appears with ～てくる to indicate approaching the speaker, or ～ていく for moving away from the speaker toward something.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- ～に近寄る (to approach ~)
- 近寄ってくる (to come closer — toward speaker)
- 近寄らないでください (please don't come near)
- 近寄りがたい (unapproachable, intimidating)
SIMILAR WORDS:
近づく is very similar and often interchangeable, but 近寄る tends to emphasize deliberate physical movement toward a target, while 近づく can also describe things becoming closer in time or abstract distance.