Example: Let’s say you wanted to say the sentence: “After a short discussion they decided to go to the beach.” but you don’t know the word “discussion” so you look it up in an online dictionary and you’re hit with several words that apparently can have the meaning “discussion” like 話し合い、論議、弁論、 議論、相談、討論、討議
In such situations, when the dictionary gives you several words that could translate into your original word, is there some simple way to tell which word would be the best suited for your sentence?
4 comments
You got go tatoeba.org
Throw in the word and look at example sentences that fit the meaning. Some dictionary apps show example sentences right away too
If there is multiple words, use the related definitions within a word for more abstract concepts. That should give you some clue on how it is used with a greater degree of subtlety. I generally use jisho.org for my word look up.
As a beginner, looking for example phrases and sentences is probably about the best you can do.
Once you build up your vocabulary to a more advanced level, you can start taking advantage of Japanese-language resources such as dictionaries. For example, here’s what Weblio says about the words you asked about, along with my translations:
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> 話し合い： 話し合うこと。談合。相談。
“To speak to one another. Discussion. Consultation.”
> 論議： 互いに意見を述べて理非を論じ合うこと。
“To state one’s opinions to one another and debate which side is right or wrong.”
> 論弁： **1** 大勢の前で、意見を述べること。**2** 互いに論じ合うこと。また、その議論。
“**1** To state one’s opinion in front of a crowd/audience. **2** To debate with one another; also, such a discussion.”
> 相談： 問題の解決のために話し合ったり、他人の意見を聞いたりすること。
“To talk with one another in order to resolve a problem, or to ask for someone’s opinion.”
> 討論： ある事柄について意見を出し合って議論をたたかわせること。
“To hold an argument by presenting opinions about a certain matter to one another.”
> 討議： ある事柄について意見を述べ合うこと。
“To state opinions about a certain matter to one another.”
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As you can see, there’s a lot of overlap in meaning, but each word has its own nuance, and might or might not be appropriate depending on the context.
Hot take: as a beginner, you should stick to talking about things that are reasonably within your ability to talk about rather than looking up stuff in J-E dictionaries and worrying about nuances that are way beyond your level.
Think about it this: would you expect a Japanese native speaker who had just started learning English and was still struggling to give a self-introduction or talk about what they did yesterday to understand the difference between “discussion”, “debate”, “rebuttal”, “argument”, “dispute”, etc. etc.? No, because they wouldn’t be capable of having a conversation where they would need to meaningfully distinguish between those words in the first place.
TL;DR: learn to walk before you try to run. Learn vocabulary in context together with sentences *that you are actually able to comprehend and produce at your level.* Let everything else come from there.