1.
chance meeting; unexpected encounter; serendipitous meeting
An unplanned meeting with someone, especially one that feels meaningful or fateful. More literary and elevated than 偶然の出会い.
運命の邂逅だった。
It was a fateful encounter.
旅先での邂逅が人生を変えた。
A chance meeting during my travels changed my life.
二人の邂逅は、まるで小説のような出来事だった。
Their chance encounter was like something out of a novel.
A literary word for an unexpected, often significant meeting. Uses two rare kanji (邂 and 逅) that are seldom seen outside this compound. The word carries a sense of destiny or fate, suggesting the meeting was more than mere coincidence.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 運命の邂逅: fateful encounter
- 偶然の邂逅: chance encounter
- 邂逅を果たす: to have an encounter
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 出会い: meeting, encounter — the everyday word for meeting someone; neutral in tone
- 遭遇: encounter — often used for unexpected or unpleasant encounters
- 巡り合い: fateful meeting — similar romantic/literary nuance but more commonly used
REGISTER:
Highly literary and formal. Common in novels, poetry, and dramatic narration. Rarely used in everyday conversation. Often appears in book titles and film descriptions.