Comparing "jian" and "jianmian"

Both 见 (jiàn) and 见面 (jiànmiàn) are used between two or more people to mean “to see one another” or "to meet up". Sometimes they can be used interchangeably.

	见 (jiàn)	见面 (jiànmiàn)
Meaning	emphasizes to see one another	emphasizes to meet up
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	formal and informal	formal and informal

Similarities

Example Sentences

In the following sentences, 见 (jiàn) AND 见面 (jiànmiàn) both can be used interchangeably:

Differences

见 (jiàn) and 见面 (jiànmiàn) also have specific individual uses.

见 (jiàn) is followed by an object, i.e., person/people being seen.

见面 （jiànmiàn）cannot be followed an object and usually ends a sentence.

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

Common Phrases

These (set) phrases work ONLY with 见（jiàn）：

• 一会儿～
• 晚上～
• 明天～
• 明年～
• 下次～

Example Sentences

In the following sentences, ONLY “见”（jiàn）can be used:

In the following sentences, ONLY “见面”（jiànmiàn）can be used: