見合う|みあうmiau[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto look at each other; to exchange looks
- godan verb, intransitive verbto correspond (to); to be proportionate (to); to be in keeping with; to offset; to counterbalance
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 見合う（みあう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 見合います（みあいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 見合わない（みあわない） |
| polite (masen) | 見合いません（みあいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 見合わず・見合わぬ（みあわず・みあわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 見合った（みあった） |
| polite (mashita) | 見合いました（みあいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 見合わなかった（みあわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 見合いませんでした（みあいませんでした） |
| Te form | 見合って（みあって） |
| Potential | 見合える（みあえる） |
| Passive | 見合われる（みあわれる） |
| Causative | 見合わせる（みあわせる） |
| Causative passive | 見合わせられる・見合わされる（みあわせられる・みあわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 見合えば（みあえば） |
| tara | 見合ったら（みあったら） |
| Volitional | 見合おう（みあおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 見合いましょう（みあいましょう） |
| Imperative | 見合え（みあえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Related合うあうNeutralNeutral and the broadest of these: matching, agreeing, suiting. 見合う narrows this to effort and reward, or price and value, being in proportion.
- Related匹敵ひってきWrittenWritten. Says ability or value is on a par, as in 「プロに匹敵する」; the focus is comparing levels, while 見合う weighs cost against return.
- Related適合てきごうWrittenWritten. Meeting conditions or specifications, as in 「基準に適合」; a technical, legal-flavoured term, while 見合う is about value matching effort.
- Related適するてきするWrittenWritten. Suits a purpose or condition, as in 「飲用に適する」; 見合う instead speaks of returns matching what you put in.
- Related適うかなうWrittenWritten. Means meeting a wish, purpose, or requirement, as in 「理にかなう」; 見合う is about effort and reward being proportionate, not fulfilling a requirement.
- Related適すてきすWrittenWritten. Same meaning as 「適する」 but conjugates as a godan verb and is now rare; 見合う concerns proportion between outlay and return.
- Related敵うかなうCasualColloquial. To be a match for someone in strength, often as the negative 「敵わない」; about rivalry, not about reward matching effort.
- Antonym不相応ふそうおうWrittenWritten antonym. Unsuited to one's status or ability; the opposite of 見合う, which implies something is proportionate or deserved.
- Antonym釣り合わないNeutralNeutral antonym: out of balance, not matching. Directly opposes 見合う in its sense of two things being proportionate.
Use 「見合う」 when effort and reward, or price and value, are in proportion, as in 「努力に見合う報酬」; it can also mean to look at each other. For meeting a wish or requirement choose 「適う」; for being on a par, 「匹敵」 or colloquial 「敵う」; for fitting conditions or specs, 「適合」 or 「適する」; the opposite is 「釣り合わない」 or 「不相応」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
