To come into physical contact with something; to touch (intransitive).
猫の毛に指がふれると、暖かさを感じた。
When my finger touched the cat's fur, I felt its warmth.
ドアの端が服に触れてしまった。
The edge of the door brushed against my clothes.
冷たい風が肌に触れると、身震いした。
When the cold wind touched my skin, I shivered.
To touch something lightly with one's hand or body; often used with an object (transitive), e.g. 〜に手を触れる.
傷口に触れないでください。
Please don't touch the wound.
赤ちゃんの頬にそっと触れた。
I gently touched the baby's cheek.
彼は紙に軽く指を触れて、ページをめくった。
He lightly touched the paper with his finger and turned the page.
To experience or come into contact with something (events, culture, feelings); to be moved or perceive emotionally.
留学して他国の文化に触れるいい機会だった。
Studying abroad was a good opportunity to experience another culture.
彼女の演技に多くの人が心を触れた。
Many people were touched by her performance.
博物館で実物に触れることで歴史が身近に感じられる。
By seeing (or handling) real artifacts at the museum, history feels more tangible.
To touch on a subject; to make a brief reference to something without going into detail.
会議ではまず予算案の概要に触れた。
At the meeting, we first touched on the outline of the budget plan.
その問題には触れないでおこうと彼は言った。
He said let's not touch on that issue.
講演では人権についても短く触れられた。
The lecture briefly touched on human rights as well.
To run afoul of or violate rules, laws, or regulations; to be in conflict with (e.g., 'to touch the law').
著作権に触れる行為は厳しく罰せられる場合がある。
Acts that infringe copyright can sometimes be severely punished.
その取引は法律に触れる可能性があると弁護士が指摘した。
The lawyer pointed out that the transaction might violate the law.
An older or formal sense meaning to announce or make known publicly (literary/archaic usage).
村役場がお触れを出し、避難を呼びかけた。
The village office issued a notice and called for evacuation.