I wonder what would be the better way to represent the idea of "meeting someone unplanned / by chance".
Or is it just a matter of one's preference?
I want the sentence to be least ambiguous but most accurate in one single sentence, and if possible, regardless of context.
The following sentences should all mean "I met him at the street (by chance)"
If I say 街で彼に出会った。 It got a romantic colour that it seems love is about to happen.
I personally belief the most neutral way would be 偶然・たまたま街で彼と会った。
But one could also say 街で彼と遇った・逢った・遭った。The first one feels like if I've met an event instead of a person. The second one feels like some sort of destiny is behind all this。 The third one feels like if I hate the person I've met.
Or is 街で彼に会った good enough？
I wonder what is the best.
Please provide your answer with explanation / evidence. m( )m
Thank you for your help!
Added:
If you are Japanese, which is the most common way and how would you say it?
Answer
the better way to represent the idea of "meeting someone unplanned / by chance".
偶然・たまたま街で彼と会った。
This Japanese sentence of yours is perfect. Both 偶然, たまたま works fine.
I think, as a native speaker, 偶然 is the safest for any occasion. If you want a relaxed feeling to your words, たまたま might be better. Both are commonly used in talks regardless of casual or formal nature.
Or is 街で彼に会った good enough？
It could sound like planned. If it's 街で彼に行き会った, this means unplanned. We often add expressions like 偶然 or たまたま to this too, though it seems to be actually repeating the same thing.
遇った・逢った・遭った。
遇った is not commonly used, though it seems this is the most accurate one for what you are looking. 逢った has a nuance of planned, and is also usually seen only on printed literature, avoid it for business letters. 遭った is for events not for people.
If I say 街で彼に出会った。 It got a romantic colour that it seems love is about to happen.
It is not necessarily romantic encounter, but 出会う means you come to know someone or something; ex. 彼は若い頃に天職{てんしょく}に出会った.
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