集団|しゅうだんshuudan[0]heiban (flat)

1. noungroup; mass
   君きみはいまやエリート集団しゅうだんの一員いちいんだ。↗

   You are now among the elite.

• Synonym群れむれNeutralMostly for animal groups — flocks, herds, schools — but can cover people too; for humans it can carry a dismissive nuance, as in 「不良の群れ」. 「集団」 is more neutral.
• SynonymグループNeutralEveryday word for a group or team, large or small. 「集団」 sounds stiffer and is mostly seen in writing and news reports.
• Synonym一団いちだんWrittenA party or batch of people moving as one, as in 「観光客の一団」. More at home in writing than 「集団」.
• Synonym一群いちぐんWrittenA group of people or animals, or a wide sweep of flowers; slightly more written in flavor than 「群れ」.
• Synonym群ぐんWrittenRead 「むら」; an old word for things of the same kind gathered together. Today it mostly appears inside words like 「群がる」 and is rarely used alone.
• Related群衆ぐんしゅうWrittenA large crowd gathered in one place, with the emphasis on sheer numbers; 「集団」 centers on a group acting or moving as one. A written, formal word.
• Related群集ぐんしゅうWrittenGathering or crowding together; can also be used as a verb. In biology it means a community of organisms. Rare in daily speech — 「群れ」 is the usual word.
• Related集まりあつまりNeutralPeople gathered together, or the gathering or meeting itself. 「集団」 does not cover the event of getting together.
• RelatedクラスターNeutralMostly in specific fields — infection clusters, data clusters — not an everyday word for groups of people.
• RelatedマスNeutralThe masses or mass scale; mostly the first element of compounds like 「マスメディア」 and 「マスプロ」, seldom used on its own.
• Related人だかりひとだかりNeutralA crowd of onlookers pressing around something, like at an accident scene; not an organized group.
• Related集合体しゅうごうたいWrittenA whole formed of many individual parts; used for things, in rather abstract, explanatory prose. 「集団」 usually refers to people.
• Related群むらWrittenRead 「むら」; an old word for things of the same kind gathered together. Today it mostly appears inside words like 「群がる」 and is rarely used alone.
• Related群がりむらがりNeutralPeople or things swarming into one place; stresses the state of being packed together. Not often used.
• Related烏合の衆うごうのしゅうWrittenA set phrase for a disorderly mob with no discipline or control, each doing as they please; derogatory. 「集団」 has no such coloring.
• Related人立ちひとだちWrittenThe state of many people gathered in one place; very rare. Say 「人だかり」 in everyday speech.
• Related団だんNeutralA body formed for a shared purpose; mostly a suffix, as in 「応援団」 and 「選手団」. Rarely stands alone.
• Antonym個人こじんNeutralThe individual, as opposed to 「集団」: 「個人の自由」 vs 「集団の規律」.
• Antonym単独たんどくNeutralActing alone or singly, the opposite of moving as a group: 「単独行動」 vs 「集団行動」.

「集団」 is the default for people or things forming a group and acting together, as in 「集団生活」. For everyday teams and circles, say 「グループ」 — 「集団」 sounds stiffer and leans toward writing and news reports. Animal groups are 「群れ」; onlookers crowding around are 「人だかり」. For a mass of people stressing numbers use 「群衆」, for a party moving as one 「一団」, for a gathering or meeting 「集まり」. 「烏合の衆」 is a derogatory word for a mob, and 「個人」 and 「単独」 are the opposites.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 沢山たくさんの人ひとや物ものの集あつまり。