議員

• Reading: ぎいん
• Romaji: giin
• Kanji breakdown: 議 (gi) — deliberation, discussion; 員 (in) — member, personnel
• Pronunciation: /ɡi.iɴ/

Meaning

Member of an assembly; legislator; member of parliament or congress.

A noun for an elected representative in a legislative body. Common compounds include 国会議員 (member of the Diet), 市議会議員 (city council member), and 県議会議員 (prefectural assembly member). The word covers all levels of elected representatives.

Examples

1. 地元の議員が学校を訪問した。 A local legislator visited the school.
2. 議員たちは新しい法案について議論した。 The legislators debated a new bill.
3. 彼女は来年の選挙で議員になりたいそうだ。 She apparently wants to become a legislator in next year's election.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, news, government

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Composed of 議 (deliberation, discussion) and 員 (member, personnel). Together they mean a member of a deliberative body.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal