概念的(がいねんてき)

Compound of 概念(がいねん) ('concept; notion') and the adjectival suffix 〜的(てき) ('-ical; -ish'), which turns nouns into な-adjectives meaning 'of the nature of X'. 概念的(がいねんてき) therefore means 'of the nature of a concept' — i.e., abstract and idea-based.

Usage

• Used as a な-adjective: 概念的(がいねんてき)な枠組(わくぐ)み ('a conceptual framework').
• Also very common as the adverbial form 概念的(がいねんてき)に ('conceptually; in concept').
• Often carries a mildly negative nuance when it implies that something lacks concrete detail, as in 話(はなし)が概念的(がいねんてき)すぎる ('the talk is too abstract').

Common collocations

• 概念的(がいねんてき)な理解(りかい): conceptual understanding
• 概念的(がいねんてき)な枠組(わくぐ)み: conceptual framework
• 概念的(がいねんてき)な設計(せっけい): conceptual design
• 概念的(がいねんてき)に捉(とら)える: to grasp conceptually
• 概念的(がいねんてき)に似(に)ている: to be similar in concept

Similar words

• 抽象的(ちゅうしょうてき): abstract — emphasizes the opposite of concrete; close in meaning but focuses on lack of concreteness rather than being at the level of concepts.
• 観念的(かんねんてき): notional; theoretical — often carries a stronger negative nuance of being divorced from reality.
• 理論的(りろんてき): theoretical — emphasizes a systematic framework; more technical than 概念的(がいねんてき).
• 具体的(ぐたいてき): concrete; specific — the direct antonym.