The Meaning of miokuri [見送り] In Japanese

見送り
みおくり
Romaji: miokuri N5

What does 見送り mean?

Translation and Meaning

seeing off, farewell, postponement

Definition

What does 見送り mean? It denotes the act of seeing someone off at departure and, in a broader sense, the postponement or deferral of a plan or event, capturing both a social farewell and a scheduling decision.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • seeing off at departure, a farewell gesture at stations, airports, or homes
  • postponement or deferment of a plan or event
  • figurative sense of choosing not to pursue an opportunity or to pass on participating

Origin

From the verbs 見る (to see) and 送る (to send), the noun 見送り developed in classical and modern Japanese to denote both the act of seeing someone off and, by extension, postponing a plan in contemporary usage.

Composition

  • 見: see, look
  • 送: send; the noun form 送り indicates the act of sending off
  • り: nominalizing/suffix forming the noun from the verb 送る

Usage

Used in both spoken and written Japanese, with two main contexts: a literal farewell when someone departs (common in family or workplace settings) and a formal or neutral sense of delaying or cancelling an event or proposal (in business or administration). In the former, it often appears in phrases about departures; in the latter, it appears in announcements or policy discussions about schedules.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine someone waving goodbye as they walk away; ‘mi’ cues ‘see,’ and ‘okuri’ cues the act of sending off, so 見送り literally becomes the act of seeing someone off.

Variations

  • 見送り (miokuri) — primary noun meaning farewell or seeing-off
  • 延期 (enki) — postponement or delay, related sense but a different term
  • 見送る (miokuru) — verb meaning to see off or to pass up/decline participation

Example Phrases

  • 駅で 友達を 見送り、 別れを 惜しんだ。
    Eki de tomodachi o miokuri, wakare o oshinda.
    I saw my friend off at the station and regretted the parting.
    Lista:
    • 駅で (eki de) – at the station
    • 友達を (tomodachi o) – friend (object marker)
    • 見送り、 (miokuri,) – seeing off,
    • 別れを (wakare o) – parting (object)
    • 惜しんだ。 (oshinda.) – regretted.
    In this sentence, 「見送り」 is the noun form of 見送る, meaning ‘seeing off’; used with を to mark the object.
見送り