Translation guide
How to express 'associate with' in Japanese, covering socializing, mental connections, and business partnerships.
To hang out with, keep company with, or be in the company of someone.
General verb for associating with someone, spending time together, or keeping company. Can be used for friends, colleagues, or romantic partners.
彼とは長い間付き合っている。
I've been associating with him for a long time.
悪い人と付き合ってはいけない。
You shouldn't associate with bad people.
More formal term for socializing or keeping company, often used for dating or formal relationships.
彼女と交際している。
I'm going out with her.
Literally 'to be together with', a simple and natural way to say you spend time with someone.
彼はいつも同じ仲間と一緒にいる。
He always associates with the same group.
Slang for hanging out with a group, often used among young people or in casual contexts.
あいつらといつも連んでるよ。
He's always hanging out with those guys.
To make a mental connection between things, ideas, or people.
To associate one thing with another in your mind, often used for ideas, images, or memories.
日本と聞くと寿司を連想する。
When I hear 'Japan', I associate it with sushi.
To link or connect two things in your mind, often implying a logical or causal relationship.
その事件を彼の過去と結びつけるのは難しい。
It's hard to associate that incident with his past.
Literally 'an image springs to mind', used when something makes you think of something else.
その言葉からは何もイメージが湧かない。
I don't associate anything with that word.
To be connected with an organization, project, or business as a partner or participant.
To form a business partnership or alliance with another company or organization.
当社は海外企業と提携している。
Our company is associated with overseas firms.
To be involved with or have a connection to something, often used for projects, events, or groups.
彼はそのプロジェクトに関わっている。
He is associated with that project.
To cooperate or work in partnership with another entity, often in business or technology.
大学と連携して研究を進めている。
We are conducting research in association with the university.
The English 'associate with' can sound formal or distant. In Japanese, 付き合う is the most natural equivalent for everyday socializing. Using 連想する or 提携する in a social context would be incorrect.
付き合う is a broad verb for any kind of association, from friendship to dating. 交際する is more formal and often implies a romantic relationship or a formal social connection.