MATCH

MATCH binds graph elements to variables. Parentheses describe nodes; brackets describe edges. A direction arrow restricts the edge orientation.

MATCH (a:Person {name: 'Alice'})-[knows:Knows]->(b)
RETURN a.name AS person, b.name AS friend;

This finds Alice → Bob. Chain patterns to traverse a fixed number of edges, or use comma-separated patterns to constrain multiple parts of the same match. Reusing a node variable constrains its identity rather than creating another independent node scan.

Labels, property maps and inline WHERE predicates restrict candidates. Ordinary MATCH predicates can refer to elements declared later in that same MATCH; a subsequent MATCH does not bring its variables into the earlier scope.

MATCH (a:Person)-[:Knows]->(b:Person)
WHERE a.age < b.age
RETURN a.name AS younger, b.name AS older;

Parallel edges retain distinct identities and can yield duplicate-looking rows. Add DISTINCT only when your application wants to collapse those projected values. Match modes control edge reuse.