会: the kanji for meet, meeting, association
You will see 会 at work every day: in 会社 (company), 会議 (meeting) and 会う (to meet).
Stroke order
会 is written in 6 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
会 has 3 readings in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 25 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
カイ (kai)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 会社かいしゃ · kaisha | company |
| 会議かいぎ · kaigi | meeting |
| 会議室かいぎしつ · kaigishitsu | meeting room |
| 会話かいわ · kaiwa | conversation |
| 会計かいけい · kaikei | accounting; the bill (at a restaurant) |
| 社会しゃかい · shakai | society |
| 会員かいいん · kaiin | member |
| 会場かいじょう · kaijō | venue |
| 会長かいちょう · kaichō | chairperson |
| 機会きかい · kikai | opportunity |
| 大会たいかい · taikai | tournament; convention |
| 教会きょうかい · kyōkai | church |
| 面会めんかい · menkai | meeting in person; visit |
| 再会さいかい · saikai | reunion |
| 入会にゅうかい · nyūkai | joining (a club or association) |
| 展示会てんじかい · tenjikai | exhibition; trade show |
| 説明会せつめいかい · setsumeikai | information session |
| 歓迎会かんげいかい · kangeikai | welcome party |
| 飲み会のみかい · nomikai | drinking party (with coworkers or friends) |
エ (e)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 会釈えしゃく · eshaku | slight bow; nod |
| 会得えとく · etoku | mastery; full understanding |
あう (au)
Kun reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 会うあう · au | to meet (a person) |
| 出会うであう · deau | to come across; to meet by chance |
| 出会いであい · deai | encounter; meeting someone new |
| 立ち会うたちあう · tachiau | to be present (as a witness) |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 明日の会議は十時からです。Ashita no kaigi wa jūji kara desu.Tomorrow's meeting starts at ten.
- 会社の近くで昼ご飯を食べます。Kaisha no chikaku de hirugohan o tabemasu.I eat lunch near the office.
- お会いできてうれしいです。O-ai dekite ureshii desu.I'm glad to meet you.
- すみません、お会計をお願いします。Sumimasen, o-kaikei o onegai shimasu.Excuse me, may I have the check, please?
- 今夜は部署の飲み会があります。Kon'ya wa busho no nomikai ga arimasu.My team has a drinking party tonight.
- 会議室は三階にあります。Kaigishitsu wa sangai ni arimasu.The meeting room is on the third floor.
- 展示会で新しいお客様に出会いました。Tenjikai de atarashii okyakusama ni deaimashita.I met new clients at the trade show.
- 日本語で会話する機会を増やしたいです。Nihongo de kaiwa suru kikai o fuyashitai desu.I want more chances to have conversations in Japanese.
Questions about 会
How many strokes does 会 have?
会 is written in 6 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 会?
The on readings are kai (カイ), e (エ). The kun readings are au (あう).
What is the difference between 会う and 合う?
Both are read au. 会う means to meet a person, as in 友達に会う (tomodachi ni au, to meet a friend). 合う means to fit or match, as in サイズが合う (saizu ga au, the size fits).
How do you write "company" in Japanese?
Company is 会社 (kaisha). In official company names, 株式会社 (kabushiki-gaisha) means a stock company, much like "Co., Ltd." or "Inc." in English.
What is a nomikai?
A 飲み会 (nomikai) is a drinking party, often with coworkers after work. Welcome parties (歓迎会, kangeikai) for new team members are a common kind of nomikai.
What JLPT level is 会?
N4. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N4 is designed to match the former Level 3.
More JLPT N4 kanji
Work and money
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 会
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.