邂逅(かいこう)

A literary word for an unexpected, often significant meeting. Uses two rare kanji (邂(かい) and 逅(こう)) 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(うんめい)の邂逅(かいこう): fateful encounter
• 偶然(ぐうぜん)の邂逅(かいこう): chance encounter
• 邂逅(かいこう)を果(は)たす: to have an encounter

Similar words

• 出会(であ)い: meeting, encounter — the everyday word for meeting someone; neutral in tone
• 遭遇(そうぐう): encounter — often used for unexpected or unpleasant encounters
• 巡(めぐ)り合(あ)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.