1.
assimilation, adaptation
The process of absorbing into or becoming similar to a surrounding culture, group, or environment. Also used in biology for the metabolic process of converting nutrients into body tissue.
移民が現地の文化に同化する。
Immigrants assimilate into the local culture.
同化政策は少数民族の文化を消してしまう危険がある。
Assimilation policies risk erasing the culture of ethnic minorities.
海外で長く暮らすうちに、いつの間にか現地の生活に同化していた。
After living abroad for a long time, I had unknowingly assimilated into the local way of life.
USAGE:
Used as a suru verb: 同化する (to assimilate). Most commonly appears in discussions of cultural integration, immigration, and social policy. In biology, it refers to anabolism — the process by which organisms convert nutrients into body tissue.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 同化する: to assimilate
- 同化政策: assimilation policy
- 文化的同化: cultural assimilation
- ～に同化する: to assimilate into ~
SIMILAR WORDS:
同化 implies becoming the same as the surrounding group. 適応 (adaptation) means adjusting to an environment without necessarily losing one's own identity. 融合 (fusion) implies mutual blending of both sides.