会議
Meaning in Englishbusiness meeting; conference
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
会議 means a formal gathering for discussion or decision-making. It refers to organized meetings in business, government, or academic contexts where participants discuss topics and decide on actions.
Main meanings
- Formal gathering for discussion and decision-making, such as corporate board meetings, government committees, or organizational planning sessions.
- The actual session or proceedings of such a gathering, i.e., the event where topics are discussed and decisions are recorded.
- A formal conference or symposium with multiple speakers, often within a specific field or industry.
How to use it
Used in formal settings such as corporate meetings, government committees, project planning, and academic conferences; in casual conversation 会議 is less common, with more general terms like 会う or 話す used instead.
Variants and close terms
- 会談 kaidan — informal or semi-formal talk
- 会合 kaigō — a gathering or assembly, often less formal
- 議論 giron — debate or discussion, not necessarily a scheduled meeting
- 国際会議 kokusai kaigi — international conference
Composition
- 会 = gathering or assembly; 議 = discussion or deliberation; together they form 会議, a compound noun meaning a formal gathering for discussion
Etymology
会 kai, meeting; 議 gi, discussion; together as 会議 they form a compound denoting a formal gathering for discussion, typically using on'yomi readings in this jukugo.
Origin
Used in Japanese administrative and organizational contexts from the Edo period onward, evolving into standard modern usage for formal meetings in business, government, and academia.
Word class
Noun (名詞)