瀬

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 瀬 is read せ and can mean a shallow or swift place in flowing water; in an expression such as 逢う瀬, it means an opportunity to meet.
• Basic usage: It has a literal geographic sense and an idiomatic sense concerning a rare occasion for a meeting.
  • 浅い瀬を選んで向こう岸へ渡りました。 refers to the shallow route crossed, while 忙しい二人は、ようやく逢う瀬を得ました。 refers to an opportunity for the two busy people to meet.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• を marking a route
  • In 浅い瀬を渡る, を marks the route crossed, while へ points toward the opposite bank as the destination.
• Idiomatic meaning of 逢う瀬
  • Do not read 逢う瀬 literally as “a meeting shallows.” In this combination it means an occasion or opportunity for two people to meet.
• 瀬 and 浅瀬
  • 浅瀬(あさせ) directly identifies shallow water. 瀬 can denote a shallow place in a current and also extends to the opportunity sense in literary combinations.