Translation guide
The concept of synonymy — words having the same or nearly the same meaning — is expressed in Japanese through several nouns and technical terms. This guide covers how to talk about synonymy in linguistics, everyday language, and related expressions.
Synonymy is an important concept in semantics.
Often used interchangeably with 同義性, but can imply near-synonymy rather than exact synonymy. Common in linguistic contexts.
The study of synonymy is useful for lexicography.
Less common variant; can be found in some linguistic texts but 同義性 is preferred.
Synonymy and antonymy are complementary concepts.
Describing the relationship of being synonyms, often in everyday or educational contexts.
Referring to synonymy as a quality or state, often in philosophical or general discussions.
The most common word for 'synonymy' or 'the same meaning'. Can be used in compounds or on its own.
These two expressions are synonymous.
Often used for 'near-synonymy'. In many contexts, 同義 and 類義 are interchangeable, but 類義 can imply slight differences.
Talking about synonymy as a feature in reference works, or the collection of synonyms.
Literally 'same-meaning word'. Often used to refer to synonyms themselves, but can also denote the concept of synonymy in lexicography.
This dictionary has a wealth of synonyms.
Similar to 同意語, but often used in thesauruses and may include near-synonyms. The concept of synonymy is implied.
同義 (どうぎ) implies exact synonymy, while 類義 (るいぎ) implies near-synonymy. In practice, many Japanese speakers use them interchangeably, but in strict linguistic contexts, the distinction matters. For most learners, 同義 is the safer choice when you mean 'same meaning'.
Strictly speaking, they are not synonymous, but they are treated as near-synonyms.
In casual conversation, you can simply say 「AとBは同じ意味です」 (A to B wa onaji imi desu) instead of using the technical term 同義. This is more natural for everyday talk.
'Tabun' and 'osoraku' have the same meaning.
These words are in a synonym relationship.
They are not perfect synonyms; they are near-synonyms.
類語辞典で類語を調べる。
Look up synonyms in a thesaurus.