Why is つきあう typically written in kana?


The kanji version 付き合う contains only elementary characters with their usual
readings. Is there a reason why it's still usually written in kana? Is there a
difference in nuance when written in kanji?

* * *

**EDIT** As to why I think that it's typically written in kana, I just
observed the following:

  * My textbook (イラストでわかる日本語表現) writes it in kana.
  * My dictionary (ウィズダム英和・和英辞典) writes it in kana in all example sentences.
  * ことえり (Apple's OS X input method) suggests to use kana when I write it.

Of course that's not necessarily representative of contemporary use by native
speakers, but it appears that there are some writers who strongly prefer kana.




It's not. It's often written in kanji and what you are seeing may just be
coincidences. Of course it doesn't have to be, and there are times when it's
not, but this doesn't mean that it's "typically" written without kanji. I do
not believe that there is any difference in nuance between choosing to use
kanji and choosing not to. It's possible that using only kana has kind of a
'softer' feel to it, I suppose, but I don't feel that enough of a distinction
is made in practical use to say that there's a stark difference between the
two.

[http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D%E5%90%88&ref=sa](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E4%BB%98%E3%81%8D%E5%90%88&ref=sa)

