否決

• Reading: ひけつ
• Romaji: hiketsu
• Kanji breakdown: 否 (hi) — deny, negate, reject; 決 (ketsu) — decide, determine, settle
• Pronunciation: /hi.ke.tsɯ/

Meaning

Rejection; negation; voting down. The formal rejection of a proposal or bill by vote.

A noun and suru-verb for formally rejecting a proposal or bill by vote. The opposite of 可決 (kaketsu, approval/passing). Commonly appears in parliamentary and committee contexts. Often used in the passive form 否決される (hiketsu sareru, to be voted down).

Examples

1. 提出された法案は議会で否決された。 The bill that was submitted was voted down in the legislature.
2. 予算案の否決を受けて政府は修正案を準備している。 Following the rejection of the budget, the government is preparing a revised proposal.
3. 反対多数で提案が否決に終わった。 The proposal was defeated by a majority of votes against.

Usage Guide

Context: parliament, committee meetings, voting

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 否 (hi, deny/reject) + 決 (ketsu, decide/determine). Literally 'to decide to reject' — a formal decision against a proposal.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal