Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 会議 | kaigi | [ka̠iɡʲi] (narrow) |
| 会合 | kaigō | [ka̠iɡo̞ː] (narrow) |
| ミーティング | mītingu | [mʲiːtʲĩŋɡɯ̟] (narrow) |
The term for meeting depends on the level of formality and the specific purpose of the gathering. 会議 is the standard term for a formal meeting, conference or a structured business meeting. In corporate environments, the loanword ミーティング is used for less structured discussions or quick syncs. For social or political assemblies, the term 会合 is used. If you are referring to a casual get-together among friends or acquaintances, use 集まり. If you need to describe a formal meeting specifically for making decisions or discussing plans, 打ち合わせ is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 会議 is composed of two parts: 会, meaning meeting or meet and 議, meaning discussion or deliberation.
Which one should you use?
会議 is the standard and most serious way to refer to a formal meeting or conference. ミーティング is a direct loanword from English used in corporate settings to imply a more casual or less structured business meeting. 会合 is a more formal or literary term, often applied to social or political gatherings and assemblies.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can indicate that someone is currently in a meeting by adding 中 to 会議, forming the phrase 会議中. To say "to set up a meeting", you can use ミーティングを設定する and to say "to schedule a conference", you can use 会議を予定する.
How do you pronounce it?
kaigi
Did you know?
- In Japanese corporate culture, 打ち合わせ often serves as a pre-meeting used to reach a consensus so that the formal 会議 is merely a ceremony to announce a decision already made.
- In some traditional Japanese settings, the seating arrangement at a 会議 is strictly dictated by seniority, with the most important person sitting furthest from the door in the 'kamiza' or upper seat.
- While 会議 implies a formal deliberation, the term 打ち合わせ literally translates to 'striking together' or 'hitting together' to align ideas.
Examples in context
- 会議室はどこ？Where is the meeting room?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the room for the 会議.Tatoeba #10608954 by small_snow, translation #1650488 by Amastan
- 会議は何時から？What time does the meeting start?This sentence is useful for asking about the starting time of the 会議.Tatoeba #11819668 by small_snow, translation #4013223 by CK
- 午後の会議、出る？Are you going to be at this afternoon's meeting?This sentence is useful for asking if someone will attend the 会議.Tatoeba #2992030 by tommy_san, translation #2951515 by CK
- 田中さんとのミーティングについて話し合いましょうLet's discuss the meeting with Mr. Tanaka
- ミーティングの目的は何ですか？What is the purpose of the meeting?
- 235 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are discussing their work schedule in an office.
- 結衣 Yui今日の会議は長くなりそう？Kyou no kaigi wa nagaku narisou?Is today's meeting going to be long?
- 健太 Kentaはい、新しいプロジェクトの会議ですから。Hai, atarashii purojekuto no kaigi desu kara.Yes, because it is a meeting for a new project.
- 結衣 Yui大変ですね。Taihen desu ne.That sounds tough.
- 健太 Kentaええ、頑張ります。Ee, ganbarimasu.Yeah, I'll do my best.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meeting” translations and entries 会議, 会合, ミーティング, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
