The Meaning of kaigi [会議] In Japanese

会議
かいぎ
Romaji: kaigi N4

What does 会議 mean?

Translation and Meaning

meeting, conference

Definition

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.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

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.

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.

Composition

  • 会 = gathering or assembly; 議 = discussion or deliberation; together they form 会議, a compound noun meaning a formal gathering for discussion

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine 会 as a circle gathering people and 議 as a speech bubble; together they depict a formal meeting where people speak to decide.

Variations

  • 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

Example Phrases

  • 会議の一部を省略して、要点だけ端的に伝える。
    Kaigi no ichibu o shōryaku shite, yōten dake tanteki ni tsutaeru.
    I omit part of the meeting and just convey the main points.
    Lista:
    • 会議 (kaigi) – meeting
    • の (no) – of
    • 一部 (ichibu) – part
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 省略して (shōryaku shite) – omitting
    • 要点 (yōten) – main point
    • だけ (dake) – only
    • 端的に (tanteki ni) – concisely
    • 伝える (tsutaeru) – convey
    ‘省略’ is a noun meaning ‘omission’; here it is used as the object of the verb 省略する in the te-form 省略して to connect actions. Put 「省略」 to emphasize the word.
  • 会議が終わったら、資料を机の引き出しに仕舞う。
    Kaigi ga owattara, shiryō o tsukue no hikidashi ni shimau.
    After the meeting, I’ll put away the documents in the desk drawer.
    Lista:
    • 会議が終わったら (kaigi ga owattara) – after the meeting
    • 資料を (shiryō o) – the documents
    • 机の (tsukue no) – desk’s
    • 引き出しに (hikidashi ni) – into the desk drawer
    • 仕舞う (shimau) – put away
    Here, 「仕舞う」 means ‘to put away’ and marks completing the action of storing the documents in the desk drawer.
  • 職場 の 新しい 会議室 に 潜入 した ふり を する。
    Shokuba no atarashii kaigishitsu ni sen’nyū shita furi o suru.
    Pretend to have infiltrated the new conference room at work.
    Lista:
    • 職場 (shokuba) – workplace
    • の (no) – of
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 会議室 (kaigishitsu) – conference room
    • に (ni) – to
    • 潜入 (sen’nyū) – infiltration
    • した (shita) – did
    • ふり (furi) – pretense
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • する (suru) – do
    In this sentence, 「潜入」 functions as a noun meaning infiltration; it is paired with したふり to convey pretending to do it.
  • 家庭の事情により、来週の会議の参加を辞退します。
    katei no jijou ni yori, raishū no kaigi no sanka o jitai shimasu.
    Due to family circumstances, I will decline to participate in next week’s meeting.
    Lista:
    • 家庭の事情により (katei no jijou ni yori) – due to family circumstances
    • 来週の (raishū no) – next week’s
    • 会議の (kaigi no) – meeting’s
    • 参加を (sanka o) – participation
    • 辞退します (jitai shimasu) – declines
    辞退 means to decline or withdraw; in this sentence the verb 辞退します expresses a polite, formal refusal to participate. The root word is 「辞退」.
  • 会議中、彼の落ち着きは周囲を安心させた。
    Kaigi-chū, kare no ochitsuki wa shūi o anshin saseta.
    During the meeting, his composure reassured those around him.
    Lista:
    • 会議中 (kaigi-chū) – during the meeting
    • 彼の (kare no) – his
    • 落ち着き (ochitsuki) – composure
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 周囲を (shūi o) – the surrounding people
    • 安心させた (anshin saseta) – reassured
    The noun 「落ち着き」 means composure; here it is the topic marked with は, showing the steadiness of the subject: 「落ち着き」.
会議