Comparing "jian" and "jianmian"

Both 见 (jiàn) and 见面 (jiànmiàn) to mean “to see someone” or "to meet up with someone".

Sometimes they can be used interchangeably.

A2HSK3ASV4567

	见 (jiàn)	见面 (jiànmiàn)
Meaning	to see someone	to meet face to face
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	formal and informal	formal and informal

:Yes

The key difference between these words is 见 emphasizes to see someone, whereas 见面 emphasizes a to meet up with someone.

Similarities

Example Sentences

In the following sentences, 见 AND 见面 both can be used interchangeably:

Differences

Common Phrases

These common phrases only work with 见：

• ～朋友
• ～你
• 明天～
• 一会儿～
• 下次～
• 晚上～
• 明年～

Example Sentences

In the following sentences, only 见 can be used:

Common Phrases

These common phrases only work with 见面：

Example Sentences

In the following sentences, only 见面 can be used:

• 我们 三 个 月 没有 见面 了。
• 今天 晚上 我 要 和 我的 一 个 朋友 见面 。
• 第 一 次 见面 后 我们 成 了 朋友 。
• 我 和 姐姐 的 见面 机会 很 少 。
• 请 你 帮 我 取消 下午 和 客户 的 见面 。

Advanced Differences

见面 （jiànmiàn）is a special type of Chinese verb called a “separable verb”, meaning 见 and 面 can be “separated” and other “stuff” can be put in the middle. For a detailed understanding of this type of verb and its usage click on this link to our grammar wiki page.

Sources and further reading

Websites

• HiNative: ["见" 和 "见面" 和有什么不一样? ]