会 — Meet, Meeting, Association

Meaning

The kanji 会 captures the ideas of meeting, gathering, and coming together — and by extension, any group formed by that togetherness: an association, a society, a company. Open a Japanese calendar or business email and you will find it within the first few lines.

Etymologically, 会 simplified the older character 會, a pictograph of a pot with its lid. The logic: just as a lid fits together with a pot, people come together in a meeting. The modern form preserves the image — the top component (亼) resembles a roof or cover sitting over the character for person (人), evoking people assembled under one roof.

With just 6 strokes, 会 is taught in Grade 2 Japanese elementary school — most children know it by age 7. For JLPT, it anchors the N5 level. In Sino-Vietnamese (Hán-Việt), it reads as HỘI. The connection runs deep: hội nghị (conference), xã hội (society), cơ hội (opportunity) — all carry the same root idea of people gathering.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

会 has two on'yomi: カイ and エ. Both appear in compound words (熟語, jukugo), particularly in formal, business, or academic contexts.

カイ is the dominant reading, driving most of the core vocabulary in this family:

会社かいしゃ (kaisha) — company, corporation
会議かいぎ (kaigi) — meeting, conference
会員かいいん (kaiin) — member (of an organization)
会場かいじょう (kaijō) — venue, meeting place

エ is an older reading, surviving mainly in fixed phrases. Its most common modern appearance is 会釈えしゃく (eshaku) — the slight, deferential bow Japanese people give when passing someone in a hallway. You may also encounter 法会ほうえ (hōe), a Buddhist memorial ceremony.

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The two kun'yomi — あ.う (au) and あ.わせる (awaseru) — are native Japanese verb readings. The dot marks the boundary between the kanji and the okurigana (the kana ending that follows).

あう (会う) is the everyday verb for meeting someone in person — friends, colleagues, anyone. A few natural compounds:

会あう (au) — to meet (someone)
出会であい (deai) — a chance encounter, often with a romantic nuance
出会であう (deau) — to come across, to happen to meet

あわせる (会わせる) means to bring people together or to introduce someone. Use it when you are the one arranging the meeting — not attending it.

Common Words & Compounds

会 turns up across work, social, and personal vocabulary. These are the compounds worth learning first:

Work & Business:

会社かいしゃ (kaisha) — company, corporation; arguably the most frequent compound using 会
会議かいぎ (kaigi) — meeting, conference; a word you will hear daily in any office
会計かいけい (kaikei) — accounting; also what you say when asking for the bill at a restaurant
商会しょうかい (shōkai) — trading company, business firm

Social & Organizations:

会員かいいん (kaiin) — member of a club or organization
社会しゃかい (shakai) — society, the social world
委員会いいんかい (iinkai) — committee
同窓会どうそうかい (dōsōkai) — class reunion, alumni gathering

Events & Gatherings:

会場かいじょう (kaijō) — venue, event hall
歓迎会かんげいかい (kangei-kai) — welcome party
忘年会ぼうねんかい (bōnenkai) — year-end party (literally "forget-the-year party")
お茶会おちゃかい (ochakai) — tea ceremony gathering

Personal Encounters:

再会さいかい (saikai) — reunion, meeting again after a long time
面会めんかい (menkai) — a formal or official visit
出会であい (deai) — a chance encounter, often romantic in nuance

Example Sentences

明日、友達ともだちに会あいます。

Ashita, tomodachi ni aimasu.

I'm meeting a friend tomorrow.

彼女かのじょは大きいおおきい会社かいしゃで働はたらいています。

Kanojo wa ōkii kaisha de hataraite imasu.

She works at a large company.

今日きょうは会議かいぎが三みっつあります。

Kyō wa kaigi ga mittsu arimasu.

I have three meetings today.

社会しゃかいのルールを守まもることが大切たいせつです。

Shakai no rūru wo mamoru koto ga taisetsu desu.

Following the rules of society matters.

駅えきの前まえで会あいましょう。

Eki no mae de aimashō.

Let's meet in front of the station.

忘年会ぼうねんかいはいつですか？

Bōnenkai wa itsu desu ka?

When is the year-end party?

会員かいいんになると、割引わりびきが受うけられます。

Kaiin ni naru to, waribiki ga ukeraremasu.

Members get a discount.

10年ねんぶりに旧友きゅうゆうと再会さいかいした。

Jūnen buri ni kyūyū to saikai shita.

I reunited with an old friend I hadn't seen in ten years.

会計かいけいをお願ねがいします。

Kaikei wo onegai shimasu.

Check, please.

Related Kanji

Memory Tip

Look at the shape of 会: the top (亼) is a little roof, and underneath sits 人 (person). Picture people crowding under a single roof — that is the scene 会 always describes, whether a meeting, a party, or a company. For Vietnamese learners, the Hán-Việt reading HỘI is a direct bridge: hội nghị, xã hội, cơ hội — all the same roof, all the same idea of people gathering.