How to say "coherent" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 連接的れんせつてきna-adjectivePoints to the literal sense of coherent — parts joined or fitted together into a connected whole — rather than to logical consistency; a stiff, technical-looking term you will seldom need for arguments or explanations.
- na-adjectiveThe loanword, at home in physics for coherent light and waves — oscillations with a steady phase relationship; for arguments and explanations that make sense, 筋の通った is the word you want.
- 可干渉的かかんしょうてきna-adjectiveLiterally 'capable of interference,' so it points to the physics sense of coherent — waves that can interfere with each other; a rare technical term, never the word for a coherent argument or account.
- 干渉的かんしょうてきna-adjectiveLiterally 'interfering'; its ordinary sense is meddling or intrusive, so as a translation of coherent it fits only a wave-interference context, and even there it is an unusual choice.
- 筋の通ったすじのとおったprenominal modifier, expressionCovers the sense shared with 'rational' and 'logical': an explanation, argument, or account whose parts fit together and make sense. This is the word you want for coherent speech or writing in ordinary contexts.
Use 「筋の通った」 for the everyday sense of reasoning or writing that is logical and consistent; 「コヒーレント」 is the physics loanword for coherent waves, 可干渉的 and 干渉的 are interference-based renderings of that idea, and 連接的 literally means 'connected'.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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