面談（めんだん、mendaん）
- interview

The Japanese word 面談 (めんだん, mendan) refers to a "meeting," "interview," or "consultation" held between two or more people. It generally implies a formal or semi-formal discussion, often with a specific purpose, such as gathering information, making a decision, or providing guidance. The focus is usually on a face-to-face interaction, although in modern times it could potentially include video calls. The word highlights the interpersonal aspect of the [面談] itself.

⚫︎採用面談 Translation: Recruitment interview ⚫︎進路相談面談 Translation: Career counseling interview ⚫︎社長との面談 Translation: Meeting with the company president

⚫︎ Use 面談 in situations where you are talking about a formal or semi-formal meeting. ⚫︎ It is appropriate when discussing interviews, consultations, counseling sessions, or meetings with a specific purpose. ⚫︎ It's commonly used in a professional or educational context. ⚫︎ It's often used with a modifier to clarify the type of [面談], such as the purpose (e.g., 採用面談 - recruitment interview) or who is involved (e.g., 社長との面談 - meeting with the president).

⚫︎ The word 面談 is primarily written using kanji and hiragana: 面談. ⚫︎ The reading is めんだん (mendan). ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 会議 (かいぎ, kaigi): Meeting, conference (more general and less personal than 面談) ⚫︎ 打ち合わせ (うちあわせ, uchiawase): Meeting, arrangement (often for planning or coordination) ⚫︎ インタビュー (intabyū): Interview (borrowed from English, often used for job interviews) ⚫︎ 相談 (そうだん, sōdan): Consultation (implies seeking advice)

There aren't direct antonyms for 面談, but words that describe a lack of a meeting or interaction could be considered as contrasts. For example: ⚫︎ 欠席 (けっせき, kesseki): Absence (from a meeting) ⚫︎ 非対面 (ひたいめん, hitaimen): Non-face-to-face (implies no in-person [面談])

来週、新しいプロジェクトについてチームとの面談を予定しています。 ・Translation: Next week, I have a meeting scheduled with the team regarding the new project. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 面談 to describe a planned meeting within a professional context.

面接の後に、人事部との面談がありました。 ・Translation: After the interview, there was a consultation with the human resources department. ・Explanation: This sentence shows 面談 being used to describe a meeting or discussion following a job interview, highlighting a consultation with HR.

The word 面談 is a combination of two kanji: 面 (めん, men) meaning "face" or "surface," and 談 (だん, dan) meaning "talk" or "discussion." Therefore, the etymology of 面談 reflects the nature of a face-to-face [面談], involving conversation and interaction.