见面
to meet; to see (a person)
HSK level
- Pinyin
- jiànmiàn
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 13
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 见面
见面 is written with 13 strokes (见: 4, 面: 9). The animation replays automatically.
What does 见面 mean?
见面 (jiànmiàn) means 'to meet (in person)' or 'to see someone face to face.'
It is the everyday verb for getting together with another person — friends meeting up, colleagues meeting for the first time, family reunions. The first thing to know about 见面 is that it is a 离合词 (separable verb): the literal meaning is 'see face,' so 'meet you' becomes 跟你见面 (gēn nǐ jiànmiàn) or 见你一面 — never 见面你. The second is that 见面 always implies physical, face-to-face meeting; for calls or video chats, learners use 联系 (liánxì) or 聊 (liáo).
Compared with the simpler verb 见 (jiàn), which can mean 'see' in many senses, 见面 specifically frames the encounter as 'meeting up.' To talk about meeting frequency, Chinese pairs it with measure-word patterns: 见过一次面 ('met once'), 经常见面 ('meet often').
Note: Common in speech and writing. As a 离合词 (separable verb), the object goes between the two characters: 见你的面 ('see your face'), not 见面你.
Character by character
Memory hook: Literally 'see face' — when you meet someone in person, you see their face.
Example sentences
我们明天见面，好吗？
Wǒmen míngtiān jiànmiàn, hǎo ma?
Let's meet tomorrow, okay?
spoken
这是我们第一次见面。
Zhè shì wǒmen dì-yī cì jiànmiàn.
This is the first time we're meeting.
neutral
我经常跟朋友见面。
Wǒ jīngcháng gēn péngyou jiànmiàn.
I often meet up with friends.
spoken
我们见个面再说吧。
Wǒmen jiàn ge miàn zài shuō ba.
Let's meet up and then talk.
spoken
Common phrases with 见面
Synonyms
见 alone means 'to see, to meet' and is broader — it can mean see (a sight), meet (a person), or appear. 见面 is specifically person-to-person meeting. 'Have you seen the doctor?' uses 见 (看医生 / 见医生); 'let's meet up' uses 见面.
碰面 ('to meet up, to bump into') is more casual and often unplanned or briefly arranged — 'we'll bump into each other at the cafe.' 见面 sounds slightly more deliberate or formal.
聚 ('to gather') implies multiple people getting together, often for a social purpose (聚会, a get-together). 见面 is about two people (or two parties) meeting, not necessarily a group event.
Don't confuse 见面 with
面 alone means 'face,' 'side,' or 'noodles.' 见面 combines 见 + 面 specifically to mean 'meet.' Don't read 面 as 'noodles' in this compound.
FAQ
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