有意

• Reading: ゆうい
• Romaji: yuui
• Kanji breakdown: 有 (yuu) — have, exist; 意 (i) — meaning, intention, significance
• Pronunciation: /jɯː.i/

Meaning

Significant; meaningful. In statistics, indicates that a result is unlikely to have occurred by chance, typically at a specified significance level.

A na-adjective (takes な before nouns). The expressions 有意差 (significant difference) and 統計的有意性 (statistical significance) are central to scientific hypothesis testing. A result is deemed 有意 when the p-value falls below the predetermined α level (commonly 0.05). The misuse and overemphasis of statistical significance has been a subject of ongoing debate in scientific methodology.

Examples

1. 実験結果において対照群との有意差が確認されたため、仮説は支持された。 A significant difference from the control group was confirmed in the experimental results, and the hypothesis was supported.
2. p値が0.05を下回ったとき、その差は統計的に有意であると判断される。 When the p-value falls below 0.05, the difference is judged to be statistically significant.
3. 有意な結果が得られたからといって、実用的な重要性を保証するわけではない。 Obtaining a significant result does not guarantee practical importance.

Usage Guide

Context: statistics, science, research, medicine

Tone: analytical

Origin & History

Compound of 有 (to have, existing) + 意 (meaning, significance). Together they convey 'having meaning' or 'carrying significance', later specialised in scientific Japanese to reflect statistical meaningfulness.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults (academic)

Social background: Academic/Professional