The Meaning of dekawasu [出くわす] In Japanese

出くわす
でくわす
Romaji: dekawasu N3

What does 出くわす mean?

Translation and Meaning

to come across, to run into, to encounter unexpectedly

Definition

What does 出くわす mean? It means to unexpectedly encounter someone or something, often in everyday life, with a sense of surprise or spontaneity as the encounter was not planned.

Type

verb (godan)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Spontaneous appearances of people or things in daily life
  • Encountering a situation or obstacle by chance, often prompting a reaction
  • Common in casual speech and narratives; less formal than some Sino-Japanese equivalents

Composition

  • 出: to come out, appear
  • くわす: a verb element attached to 出 to form the compound meaning of encountering something by chance; the combination yields the sense of something appearing unexpectedly in front of you

Usage

Used in casual and semi-formal Japanese to describe meeting someone unexpectedly or encountering a situation by chance. Typical constructions include 出くわす with に or で to mark what is encountered; common in everyday conversation and light narration; Japanese phrases often emphasize the surprise element rather than a planned meeting. 街で友達に出くわす, 珍しい出来事に出くわす, トラブルに出くわす
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine stepping out and immediately meeting a friend by chance—the scene embodies the meaning of 出くわす and helps you recall the word when you step out into the world.

Variations

  • 遭遇する (sougū suru) – encounter by chance
  • 偶然出会う (guuzen de au) – meet by chance
  • 出会う (deau) – to meet, often by chance in a broader sense

Example Phrases

  • 道で 旧友に 出くわす なんて、今日は ついてる。
    Michi de kyūyū ni dekawasu nante, kyō wa tsuiteru.
    Running into an old friend on the street, what a thing—I’m lucky today.
    Lista:
    • 道で (michi de) – on the street
    • 旧友に (kyūyū ni) – to an old friend
    • 出くわす (dekawasu) – to run into
    • なんて、 (nante) – such a thing
    • 今日は (kyō wa) – today
    • ついてる。 (tsuiteru) – is lucky
    The verb 「出くわす」 means to run into unexpectedly; here it marks a casual, everyday encounter.
出くわす