迎える
to welcome, to meet (arriving)
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 空港で友達を迎える。I welcome my friend at the airport.
- 新しい年を迎えた。I welcomed the New Year.
Collocations
Mnemonic
Mukaeru (迎える) is the ichidan Japanese verb for "welcome / receive / greet," the exact partner of miokuru (see off). The kanji 迎 combines 辶 (movement) and 卬 (look up to) — "go out to receive someone." Senses: (1) meeting a person ("kuukou de mukaeru" welcome at the airport, "eki made mukae ni iku" go to meet someone at the station); (2) time / event ("shinnen wo mukaeru" greet the New Year, "tanjoubi wo mukaeru" reach a birthday, "haru wo mukaeru" welcome spring); (3) life stage / phase ("jinsei no fushime wo mukaeru" reach a life turning point, "saiseiki wo mukaeru" hit one's prime); (4) hospitality ("kyaku wo mukaeru" receive guests, "seifu wo mukaeru" receive officials). Japanese omukae custom: mothers "omukae" their children at kindergarten or school — a daily ritual. The obon (mid-August ancestor festival) opens with mukae-bi (welcoming fire) on August 13 and closes with okuri-bi (send-off fire) on August 16. New Year rituals cluster around mukaeru: hatsumoude (first shrine visit), toshikoshi (year-crossing), otoso (medicinal sake). English welcome / receive / greet, Chinese 迎接 and Korean "ma-jung" map.
Quick check
Role of mukae-bi (迎え火) in the obon (お盆) ritual?