仮説（かせつ、kasetsu）
- hypothesis

The Japanese word 仮説 (読み方: かせつ, *kasetsu*) means "hypothesis" or "supposition" in English. It refers to a proposed explanation for something, based on limited evidence, that serves as a starting point for further investigation. A 仮説 is essentially an educated guess that needs to be tested and verified through experimentation or research. It is a fundamental concept in scientific and academic fields. A 仮説 can also be a tentative idea or a conjecture.

⚫︎ 科学者は実験を行う前に、まず仮説を立てます。 Translation: Scientists first form a hypothesis before conducting experiments. ⚫︎ 彼女の仮説は、この現象の新たな説明を提供した。 Translation: Her hypothesis provided a new explanation for this phenomenon. ⚫︎ その研究チームは、調査結果に基づいて新しい仮説を提案しました。 Translation: The research team proposed a new hypothesis based on their findings.

You use 仮説 in situations where you are discussing an idea, theory, or explanation that is not yet fully proven but is being put forward for consideration or testing. It is commonly used in discussions related to science, research, academics, and even in everyday problem-solving when you are trying to figure something out. You would use it when discussing a preliminary idea, a working assumption, or a tentative explanation.

仮説 is typically written in kanji. ・ Reading: かせつ (hiragana) ・ Kanji: 仮説 There are no significant variations in the okurigana (the suffix hiragana) for this word.

・ 推測 (*suisoku*) - guess, conjecture ・ 前提 (*zentei*) - premise ・ 予想 (*yosou*) - expectation, prediction ・ 見込み (*mikomi*) - prospect, hope

・ 結論 (*ketsuron*) - conclusion ・ 事実 (*jijitsu*) - fact ・ 証明 (*shoumei*) - proof ・ 確定 (*kakutei*) - confirmation

彼の仮説は、実験によって否定された。 ・Translation: His hypothesis was disproven by the experiment. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates how a 仮説 is subjected to testing and can be rejected if the evidence doesn't support it.

新しい薬の効果を検証するために、いくつかの仮説を立てる必要がある。 ・Translation: Several hypotheses need to be formulated to verify the effect of the new drug. ・Explanation: This sentence shows the use of 仮説 in a research context, highlighting the importance of developing them to guide investigation.

仮説 is a compound word formed from two kanji: ・ 仮 (*kari*) - meaning "provisional," "temporary," or "assumed." ・ 説 (*setsu*) - meaning "theory," "explanation," or "hypothesis." Therefore, the combined meaning represents a provisional theory or a temporary explanation, which is the definition of a hypothesis.