適切 vs. 適当: You Should Correctly Remember These
What is the difference between “適切 and 適当“? Which is a word with a double meaning? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!
適切 (tekisetsu)
Appropriate/Right / 适当 / 적절한 / Thích hợp/Đúng
“適切” means “Appropriate or Right” and which has been used as the meaning of “suitable or right for a particular situation or occasion”. The basic way to use it is “___は適切だ” or “適切な___”. For instance, “あなたののコメントは適切だ。(Your comments are appropriate.), “適切なコメント(The appropriate comments)”. “適切” is pretty formal.




適当 (tekitou)
Dodge/Evade/Randomly, etc / 恰好 / 적당히 / Tùy tiện
“適当” means “Dodge, Evade, Randomly, etc” and which has been used as the meaning of “to avoid or escape from someone or something because it’s too much hassle to do that”. The way to use it is “適当に___する”, “___は適当だ”. For instance, “適当に答える。(I just answered randomly.), 適当にやった。(I finished it, quick and dirty.), etc. Although “適当” has the other meaning as the “適切“, “適切” is more formal than “適当“. Furthermore, not only Japanese learners but native Japanese speakers also sometimes get confused when people use “適当” as the meaning of “適切“, so even “適当” has two meaning, but basically they don’t use it as the meaning “適切“. Lastly, “適当“: a person lightly doing something not serious.

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