会う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 会う, read あう, means to meet a person.
• Basic usage: It covers both an arranged meeting with a friend and an unexpected encounter with a former teacher while traveling.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The homophone 合う
  • Meeting a person is written 会う; a clothing size or someone’s tastes matching is written 合う. The readings coincide, but meeting and fitting are different meanings.