決心 結審 in level 9

I am currently at level 9. One of the vocabulary 決心 definition listed at determination, resolution and CONVICTION. The first two make sense in Kanji, but the Conviction does not. I went to Jisho.org then I found out the Kanji for conviction is 結審. Is there a purpose to list Conviction as one of the definition for 決心?
FatBoy

結審 means conviction in a legal sense at the end of a trial - as in convicted of a crime.

決心 as conviction means a strongly held personal belief.

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So that’s like “being convinced”, but turned into a noun, right?

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Apparently (according to google) both meanings of conviction in English have the same etymology - from Latin convictio. Whereas convince is also from latin terms con (with) and vincere (to conquer).

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jisho.org offers “確信” for “conviction” in the sense of “belief”. I don’t really think that “conviction” and “determination” are synonymous, as “determination” is usually linked to an action / a goal and “conviction” has more to do with beliefs and opinions, so I would really like to see a reference to any dictionary that has “conviction” as an English-language meaning for 決心. I’ve checked three and none of them does.

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They’re certainly synonyms in English. Not 100% overlap or anything, but I don’t see why it would be impossible to come up with a scenario where 決心 could be translated as conviction.

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A thesaurus would disagree with you.

Well, it’s a good thing you’re not a thesaurus, then!

But you’re right, they are synonyms. They are not, however, exact synonyms. They’re not interchangeable in every context, at least not in my experience. That doesn’t prevent them from being synonyms but my point still stands.

“It is my deeply held conviction that pineapple belongs on pizza” sounds a lot less strange than “It is my deeply held determination that pineapple belongs on pizza” to my ears.

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In any case, this is not so much about whether the english words are completely) synonymous in English, but whether you could translate the two near synonyms as 決心 in Japanese, or whether you have to draw a clear line between the two English words, and two (or more) Japanese words. In this case, you can use 決心 when you mean conviction, as well as when you mean determination, I think.

Edit, sorry, I think i glossed over the last part, there :sweat_smile:

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There are very few synonyms that are interchangeable in every context.

That’s because of the nuance you mentioned. How about:

I’m going to eat this pineapple pizza with conviction.
I’m going to eat this pineapple pizza with determination.

Different nuance.

I’m a word nerd. We’re almost as bad. :wink::smiley:

In this context, I also don’t think the two words are interchangeable! “Determination” feels a lot more natural to me here.

I mean, yeah, in some contexts the words are interchangeable but I still think they both carry a distinct nuance to them, and at least for my part, I’m not gonna add “conviction” as a custom synonym for 決定 any time soon, based on the fact that none of the JP-EN dictionaries I checked translate it as such. I assume they have done their research and do consider the two words distinct enough.

Language is, of course, not objective, completely standardized or regulated by some kind of governing body so this whole discussion is a huge pile of YMMV either way.

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決心 means both (スル)心を決めること (feels close to determination) and 考えを決めること (feels close to conviction). And there are lots of short sentences with 決心 where it’s not clear which might be meant without more context.

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Yeah, I completely agree with that.

They’re synonymous only when “conviction” has the nuance of something determined by belief. There are other uses, like you said, where it would sound odd.

Aye.

When I look on Context Reverso, though, I can’t find a single instance where 決心 was translated as conviction, or the other way around :thinking:

But I do see a lot of resolve, which to me feels like a similar word to conviction, in this context.

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I don’t usually look at translations as being 100% representative of the word in question - the Japanese word is going to have its own meaning and the translations given are just ‘closest matches’ in English.

It’s 2:00 AM. He downs another cup of coffee and returns to his textbook. He is studying with conviction, determined to pass the exam and resolved to get a good grade.

… that’s how I interpreted the translations anyway. That’s all the same nuance in English - an unwavering intent pursued with grit (which nicely matched my idea of the kanji, when your heart has decided)

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Thanks for all the input. I believe I have to spend more time studying my English as well. Btw, both 決心 and 結審 are pronounced same way as けっしん。 That’s why I thought it was a mistake when I read the definition in the vocabulary review. Anyway, what do I know, I am only at level 9.

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The translation is correct. 結審 also does not mean conviction. It is the period of time between closing arguments and rendering a verdict, or the conclusion of the trial phase. Using it does not imply guilt or innocence.

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