gather · adopt

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 採 has 11 strokes and the on-reading さい. 採用 (さいよう) and 採択 (さいたく) concern selecting and accepting people, proposals, or other candidates.
• Basic usage: 採用 covers hiring people and adopting proposals. 採択 is used for accepting proposals or works through consideration or review.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Hiring people and adopting proposals
  • 新人を採用する means hiring new employees; 案が採用された means that a proposal was adopted. 採用 is not limited to hiring.
  • 案が採択された also means that a proposal was adopted, so the two words overlap. 作品の採択理由 gives the reason for selecting a work.