付き合う

• 読み: つきあう
• ローマ字: tsukiau
• 漢字の分解: 付 (attach/accompany) + き (okurigana) + 合 (mutual/together) + う (verb ending) → to be together, to go out with someone
• 発音: /tsu.ki.a.u/

意味

To go out with someone — to officially start dating or be in a romantic relationship.

付き合う is the standard word for 'dating' in Japanese, specifically referring to an official romantic relationship. Unlike casual dating in Western culture, 付き合う implies exclusivity from the start and usually begins after a formal 告白. The phrase 付き合ってください (please go out with me) is the classic confession response request.

例文

1. 付き合って3ヶ月記念にディナー行ってきた。
2. 告白されて、付き合うことにしたんだ。
3. 好きな人がいるけど、付き合うまでの勇気がない。

使い方ガイド

場面: friends, dating, general conversation

トーン: matter-of-fact, romantic

正しい言い方

• 私たち付き合ってるんだ。 (We're going out / We're dating.)
• 付き合ってください。 (Please go out with me.)

避ける言い方

• 「付き合う」は友達の付き合いにも使うので、恋愛の文脈を明確に (Since 付き合う also means 'to hang out with' in non-romantic contexts, make sure the romantic meaning is clear)

よくある間違い

• Not realizing that 付き合う implies exclusivity in Japan — it's not 'casually dating,' it's an official relationship from the start

起源と歴史

From 付き (attach) + 合う (mutual/together). Originally meaning 'to associate with' or 'to keep company,' the romantic meaning of exclusive dating became dominant in modern usage.

文化的背景

時代: Standard Japanese, long-established

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. The core term for being in a romantic relationship.