反 意 語(はんいご)

はんいご

noun

antonym; word with opposite meaning

1. antonym; word with opposite meaning

A word that has the opposite meaning of another word. A fundamental concept in linguistics and language education, used when discussing vocabulary relationships.

「大(おお)きい」の反意語(はんいご)は「小(ちい)さい」だ。

The antonym of 'big' is 'small.'

反意語(はんいご)を使(つか)って文(ぶん)を作(つく)りなさい。

Make a sentence using an antonym.

漢字(かんじ)の反意語(はんいご)を覚(おぼ)えると語彙(ごい)が効率(こうりつ)よく増(ふ)える。

Memorizing kanji antonym pairs is an efficient way to build vocabulary.

Compound of 反意(はんい) ('opposite meaning') and 語(ご) ('word'). The standard linguistic term for words with opposite meanings, frequently encountered in language textbooks, dictionaries, and vocabulary study materials.

Usage

Commonly encountered in Japanese language classes and textbooks when studying vocabulary relationships.
In Japanese, many antonym pairs are formed by kanji with opposing meanings: 上(うえ)/下(した), 長(なが)い/短(みじか)い, 入(い)る/出(で)る.
The variant 反対語(はんたいご) is used interchangeably in everyday contexts and is slightly more colloquial.

Common collocations

反意語(はんいご)を調(しら)べる: to look up an antonym
反意語(はんいご)の関係(かんけい): antonymic relationship
反意語(はんいご)辞典(じてん): antonym dictionary

Similar words

反対語(はんたいご): antonym — near-synonym; slightly more colloquial variant using 反対(はんたい) ('opposite') instead of 反意(はんい)
対義語(たいぎご): antonym — the most formal and technically precise term, preferred in academic linguistics
類義語(るいぎご): synonym — word with a similar meaning; the opposite concept
同義語(どうぎご): synonym — word with the same meaning; even closer equivalence than 類義語(るいぎご)

Related Words

Compare: 反対語(はんたいご) (antonym)

Compare: 対義語(たいぎご) (antonym)

Compare: 類義語(るいぎご) (synonym)

Compare: 同義語(どうぎご) (synonym)

general

Added 2026.4.19 0:15 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

24000/24354_hanigo