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

  • 今日の会議は至って順調だったので、安心した。
    Kyou no kaigi wa itatte jouchou datta node, anshin shita.
    Today’s meeting was extremely smooth, so I felt relieved.
    Lista:
    • 今日の (kyou no) – direct translation in en
    • 会議は (kaigi wa) – direct translation in en
    • 至って (itatte) – direct translation in en
    • 順調だった (jouchou datta) – direct translation in en
    • ので (node) – direct translation in en
    • 安心した (anshin shita) – direct translation in en
    「至って」 is an adverb meaning ‘extremely’; here it modifies 「順調だった」 to mean ‘extremely smooth’.
  • 会議で参加者に記念品を進呈した後、皆が拍手した。
    Kaigi de sankasha ni kinenhin o shintei shita ato, mina ga hakushu shita.
    At the meeting, I presented a commemorative gift to the participants, and everyone applauded.
    Lista:
    • 会議で (kaigi de) – at the meeting
    • 参加者に (sankasha ni) – to the participants
    • 記念品を (kinenhin o) – the commemorative gift
    • 進呈した後 (shintei shita ato) – after presenting
    • 皆が (mina ga) – everyone
    • 拍手した (hakushu shita) – clapped
    「進呈」(shintei) means to present a gift in formal contexts; here it appears as 進呈した, taking 記念品を as the object.
  • 会議室では間隔をあけて席を取る。
    Kaigishitsu de wa kankaku o akete seki o toru.
    In the meeting room, keep a safe distance and take a seat.
    Lista:
    • 会議室 (kaigishitsu) – meeting room
    • では (de wa) – in/at
    • 間隔 (kankaku) – interval
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • あけて (akete) – to open/leave space
    • 席 (seki) – seat
    • を (o) – (object marker)
    • 取る (toru) – to take
    In this sentence, 「間隔」 marks the space you keep; it is used with を to indicate what you create or maintain.
  • 会議の要点だけをノートに書く。
    kaigi no yōten dake o nooto ni kaku.
    I’ll only write the meeting’s key points in my notebook.
    Lista:
    • 会議の (kaigi no) – of the meeting
    • 要点 (yōten) – key points
    • だけを (dake o) – only
    • ノートに (nooto ni) – in the notebook
    • 書く (kaku) – write
    É o núcleo lexical: 「要点」 significa ‘key points’; aqui refere-se aos pontos-chave de 会議.
  • 今朝 の 会議で 彼の 新しい 企画 が 初耳 だった。
    Kesa no kaigi de kare no atarashii kikaku ga hatsumimi datta.
    I heard about his new project for the first time in this morning’s meeting.
    Lista:
    • 今朝 (kesa) – this morning
    • の (no) – of / possessive
    • 会議で (kaigi de) – in the meeting
    • 彼の (kare no) – his
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 企画 (kikaku) – project/plan
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 初耳 (hatsumimi) – heard for the first time
    • だった (datta) – was
    「初耳」 means something heard for the first time; here it follows the subject with が and uses だった to show it was new information to me.
会議