見合わせ

• Reading: みあわせ
• Romaji: miawase
• Kanji breakdown: 見 (mi) — see, look; 合 (a) — match, combine
• Pronunciation: /mi.a.wa.se/

Meaning

Postponement; suspension; holding off on something. Also literally means looking at each other.

A noun derived from the verb 見合わせる (to postpone/to look at each other). Most commonly encountered in announcements about train suspensions (運転見合わせ) or decisions to delay plans. The literal sense of two people gazing at one another is less frequent in modern usage but still understood.

Examples

1. 台風の影響で電車が運転見合わせになった。 Train service was suspended due to the typhoon.
2. 予算不足のため計画の見合わせが決まった。 Due to insufficient budget, it was decided to put the plan on hold.
3. 出発の見合わせを検討している段階です。 We are at the stage of considering postponing our departure.

Usage Guide

Context: transportation, business, planning, announcements

Tone: serious

Origin & History

From 見 (mi, to see/look) + 合わせ (awase, to match/combine). The compound verb 見合わせる originally meant 'to look at each other face to face,' which evolved into the sense of pausing to assess a situation before acting.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal