Japanese word

座談会

Pronunciation

Romajizadankai

Meaning

  • nounround-table discussion

Example

来週、座談会を開きます。rai shū za dan kai o hira ki ma su

We will hold a round-table discussion next week.

Illustration for 座談会 (round-table discussion)

More examples

学生たちは座談会で将来の進路について話し合いました。gaku sei ta chi wa za dan kai de shō rai no shin ro ni tsu i te hana shi a i ma shi ta

The students discussed their future career paths at the round-table discussion.

Core concept

Describes a meeting where several people sit together and exchange views in a relaxed, conversational format.

Common phrases

  • 座談会を開くza dan kai o hira ku

    hold a round-table discussion

  • 座談会に参加するza dan kai ni san ka su ru

    participate in a round-table discussion

Similar words

懇談会kondankai: An informal meeting in which participants discuss a topic in a friendly atmosphere.
意見交換会ikenkōkankai: A meeting held for people to exchange their opinions and ideas.
討論会tōronkai: A meeting in which participants discuss opposing opinions in an organized way.

Definition in Japanese

数人が集まり、形式ばらずに自由な雰囲気で意見や感想を話し合う会。sū nin ga atsu ma ri kei shiki ba ra zu ni ji yū na fun i ki de i ken ya kan sō o hana shi a u kai

Word origin

座談会 (zadankai) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 座 (za, "seat"), 談 (dan, "talk"), and 会 (kai, "meeting"), describing a meeting for people to talk together while seated.

Usage tips

  • A 座談会 (zadankai) usually allows several participants to speak freely, unlike a lecture in which one speaker mainly addresses an audience.

Other meanings

  • symposiumnoun

Word lists with this word