Why do JLPT N4 learners confuse 相談 with 会話?

Both words occupy adjacent semantic territory, which is exactly why the JLPT uses them as distractors for each other on multiple-choice items. The fastest way to stop confusing them is to study them as a pair, write a one-sentence contrast in your own words, and drill the pair specifically rather than each word in isolation.

Is 相談 or 会話 more common on JLPT N4?

Both appear in the JLPT N4 curriculum and either may show up on a given exam. Don't try to predict which one the test will choose — learn to distinguish them and you'll be safe regardless. Both belong to the Communication & Social theme of N4 vocabulary.

How do I practice this confusion pair?

Free option: visit /try and pick a confusion drill. Paid option: none — JLPT Mastery is free during launch. Whichever route you take, the engine specifically re-tests pairs you've gotten wrong rather than rotating through general vocabulary review.

JLPT N4 · Elementary · Meaning confusion

相談 vs 会話

Q: What's the difference between 相談 and 会話?

相談 (そうだんする) means "consultation" and 会話 (かいわ) means "conversation". Both describe the act of talking with other people. 'Sōdan' is a specialized, goal-oriented type of 'kaiwa' (conversation) where the participants seek advice or a specific solution.

Why JLPT N4 learners mix up 相談 (そうだんする, “consultation”) and 会話 (かいわ, “conversation”).

相談

そうだんする

consultation

verb

会話

かいわ

conversation

verb

Theme: Communication & SocialJLPT N4

Why these get confused

Both describe the act of talking with other people. 'Sōdan' is a specialized, goal-oriented type of 'kaiwa' (conversation) where the participants seek advice or a specific solution.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 相談 (consultation) and 会話 (conversation) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

相談 (consultation)

医者に相談しなよ。
ものは相談だけど。

会話 (conversation)

会話に加われば？
彼女は英会話が得意だ。

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N4, this pair shows up as a vocabulary meaning question. You see one word and pick its English equivalent from four options — one of which will be the other word in this pair, chosen as a distractor precisely because of the overlap.

Sample item

「相談」の意味は？