見送り（みおくり、miokuri）
- seeing off

The Japanese word 見送り (みおくり) primarily means "seeing off," "farewell," or "seeing someone off at a departure." It refers to the act of accompanying someone to their point of departure (e.g., train station, airport, front door) and saying goodbye. It can also figuratively mean "to reject," "to turn down," or "to postpone". 見送り can be used in various contexts, from a simple goodbye to a formal farewell, and even in business situations. The meaning is not limited to physical actions; it can also represent a decision or outcome.

⚫︎友達を駅まで見送りに行った。 Translation: I went to the station to see off my friend. ⚫︎彼の提案は見送りになった。 Translation: His proposal was turned down/postponed. ⚫︎彼女は空港で家族を見送りした。 Translation: She saw her family off at the airport.

⚫︎見送り is used in situations where you are saying goodbye to someone, particularly when they are leaving. ⚫︎It's common to use it when someone is traveling (by train, plane, etc.) or when someone leaves your house or place of work. ⚫︎In business, it can signify rejecting a proposal or delaying a decision, often expressed in the passive form 見送られる. ⚫︎You would typically use the verb する (to do) after 見送り to form the verb 見送りする or use the verb in its polite form 見送りします to show farewell.

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji 見送り, but it can also be written in hiragana みおくり. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always 送り. ⚫︎Conjugations include 見送る (miru, present tense), 見送った (miokutta, past tense), 見送らない (miokuranai, negative present tense), 見送れば (miokureba, conditional form), etc. The core meaning stays the same. The main part that varies is見送.

⚫︎送る (okuru): To send off, to see off. More general term for sending someone off. ⚫︎別れ (wakare): Farewell, parting. This is a noun and describes the act of separation. ⚫︎さよなら (sayonara): Goodbye. A general word for farewell.

⚫︎There is no single direct antonym. The opposite action could be considered 出迎え (demukae), which means "to meet someone" or "to welcome someone." However, this is not a direct opposite of見送りbut a different, related activity.

空港まで彼を見送りに行って、とても寂しかった。 ・Translation: I went to the airport to see him off, and I was very sad. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of going to the airport to say goodbye to someone who is leaving and the emotional feeling associated with that goodbye.

今回のプロジェクトは、予算の関係で見送りとなりました。 ・Translation: This time's project was postponed due to budget constraints. ・Explanation: This sentence uses見送り to mean "postponed" or "rejected" in a business context. The reason for the postponement is the budget.

The word 見送り is composed of two parts: 見 (mi), the stem of the verb 見る (miru), meaning "to see," and 送り (okuri), the stem of the verb 送る (okuru), meaning "to send" or "to see someone off." Therefore, the literal meaning is "to see someone off." The combination perfectly reflects the activity of accompanying someone to their departure and bidding them farewell.