寄る (よる)

You’re on your way home, but something catches your eye—a cozy café with the best matcha latte. You step in for a quick pause. Or maybe you remember your friend’s apartment is just a few streets over, so you drop in unannounced, knowing they’ll welcome you with green tea and rice crackers. Or perhaps a pit stop at 7-Eleven for a spaghetti sandwich and a royal milk tea.

These little detours—brief, spontaneous, and often delightful—are what make the journey worthwhile. And in Japanese, there’s a single word that captures all of it: yoru—寄る（よる）.

「寄る」 means to stop/drop by while on one's way to another place, its focus is on quick and unscheduled visits. It’s a simple and commonly used word that can make your Japanese feel more natural, usable both written and spoken, and casual and formal contexts.

帰りにカフェに寄りました。

I stopped by a cafe on the way home.

時間(じかん)があったら寄(よ)ります。

If I have time, I'll stop by.

次(つぎ)のガソリンスタンドに寄(よ)ろうよ。

Let's stop at the next gas station.

ここに寄(よ)るのは久(ひさ)しぶりだ。

It’s been a while since I stopped by here.

私たちのところに寄(よ)っていきませんか。

Why don’t you stop by our place?

The term 「立(た)ち寄(よ)る」(JLPT N1) shares the same fundamental meaning as 「寄る」 ("to stop by"). However, it conveys a more deliberate or intentional stop, often with a sense of formality. It's commonly encountered in written language or polite speech. For example:

駅前(えきまえ)のコンビニに立(た)ち寄(よ)る。

I’ll stop by the convenience store in front of the station.

ちょっと立(た)ち寄(よ)ります。

I’ll stop by for a moment.

While both words can be used interchangably there can a slight nuance that 立ち寄る is a shorter period of time than 寄る. For example, to 「立ち寄る」to a friends house might not imply going in and having a quick cup of tea, where 寄る might.

This word is ideal for situations where the stop is purposeful or pre-planned, making it more suited to formal contexts or polite expressions. Whereas 寄る is best suited for quick, casual, or unscheduled visits in everyday speech and informal writing.

While 「寄る」 is most commonly used and recognized on the JLPT N4 for its meaning of "stopping by" it also carries other meanings, such as "to approach" or "to draw near."

猫が私に寄ってきた。

The cat approached me.

もう少し右に寄ってください。

please move a little more to the right.

人々(ひとびと)がステージに寄って写真を撮(と)った。

People approached the stage and took photos.