婚約（こんやく、konyaku）
- engagement

The Japanese word 婚約 (こんやく) means "engagement" or "betrothal." It refers to a formal agreement between two people to marry each other in the future. It signifies a serious commitment and intention to get married. The period between 婚約 and marriage is often considered a time for the couple to plan their wedding, get to know each other's families better, and prepare for their married life.

⚫︎彼らは来年《婚約する予定です。》 Translation: They are planning to get engaged next year. ⚫︎彼女は先月、彼と《婚約しました。》 Translation: She got engaged to him last month. ⚫︎《婚約指輪は美しいです。》 Translation: The engagement ring is beautiful.

⚫︎婚約 is used in formal and informal situations. ⚫︎It's used when talking about the state of being engaged or the act of getting engaged. ⚫︎The word is often used in news reports, announcements, or casual conversations. ⚫︎It can be followed by verbs such as する (to do), 破棄する (to break off), or adjectives like している (to be engaged).

⚫︎婚約 is primarily written using the kanji 婚 (kon - marriage) and 約 (yaku - promise, agreement). ⚫︎The hiragana reading is こんやく. ⚫︎There is only one standard way to write this word.

There are no direct synonyms in Japanese, but related terms include: ⚫︎婚約者 (こんやくしゃ) - fiancé(e), the person one is engaged to. ⚫︎結婚の約束 (けっこんのやくそく) - promise of marriage.

⚫︎破談 (はだん) - breaking off an engagement, a failed engagement. ⚫︎婚約破棄 (こんやくはき) - breaking off an engagement.

山田さんは、大学時代からの恋人と《婚約しました。》 ・Translation: Mr. Yamada got engaged to his sweetheart from his university days. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the act of Mr. Yamada becoming engaged.

彼女は彼の家族に《婚約のあいさつに行きました。》 ・Translation: She went to his family to announce their engagement. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone going to announce their engagement to the family.

婚約 is a compound word formed from: ⚫︎婚 (kon) which means "marriage". ⚫︎約 (yaku) which means "promise" or "agreement". Therefore, 婚約 literally means "marriage promise" or "marriage agreement".