見舞う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 見舞う is a transitive verb read みまう, meaning either to visit someone who is ill or to strike a place as a disaster or severe event.
• Basic usage: Use 友人を見舞う for visiting a hospitalized friend and 嵐が島を見舞う for a storm striking an island.
  • 入院した友人を見舞うため、午後に病院へ行きました。 describes going to the hospital in the afternoon to visit a hospitalized friend; 突然の激しい嵐が小さな島を見舞いました。 describes a sudden violent storm striking a small island.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 友人を見舞う
  • を marks the person being visited and comforted.
• 嵐が島を見舞う
  • In this sense, が marks the disaster and を marks the place affected.
• 見舞うため
  • ため presents the visit as the purpose of going to the hospital.