How to say "appoint" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 決めるきめるichidan verb, transitive verbCovers the sense of appointing in the everyday sense of deciding or choosing who will take a role; it stresses the act of making the decision rather than the formal conferral of the position.
- 命ずるめいずるichidan verb (-zuru), transitive verbCovers formal appointment by a person in authority; as a written, formal verb it also carries the sense of ordering or commanding, so it suits official decrees naming someone to a post.
- 取り立てるとりたてるichidan verb, transitive verbCovers appointing or promoting someone, with the nuance of picking a person out and giving them patronage; it suggests elevating someone from among others, often through favor.
- 命じるめいじるichidan verb, transitive verbCovers the same formal appointment sense as 命ずる; it is the more ordinary form of the pair and likewise blends into the meaning of ordering someone to do something.
Use 「決める」 for deciding or choosing a person (often together with a noun like 任用), 「命ずる」/「命じる」 for formally appointing or ordering by authority, and 「取り立てる」 for appointing or promoting someone from among others.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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