How to say "vote" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 票ひょうnoun, noun (suffix), counterAn individual vote or ballot — the votes cast and counted — rather than the act of voting or the decision reached. Use it when talking about the votes themselves.
- 採決さいけつnoun, suru verb, transitive verbThe act of putting a question to a formal vote at a meeting or in an assembly; 'division' is the parliamentary term for this. This is the word for voting as a procedure.
- 決議けつぎnoun, suru verb, transitive verbReally a resolution: a formal decision adopted by a deliberative body such as an assembly or committee. The 'vote' sense is secondary — it names the decision reached, not the act of voting.
- 決けつnounSeldom the word you want by itself: this is chiefly the element meaning 'decision' that appears inside words like 採決 and 決議, not an independent way to say 'vote'.
- 議決ぎけつnoun, suru verb, transitive verbA formal resolution or decision reached by a deliberative body — an assembly, council, or board — after discussion; like 決議 it names the outcome, so for the act of voting 採決 is the word.
For votes as countable ballots use 票; for the act of putting a question to a vote use 採決; 決議 and 議決 are formal resolutions or decisions rather than the voting itself, and 決 alone is seldom used.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
