婚約, 結婚 and 新婚: engagement, marriage plans and newlyweds
Compare announcing an engagement, planning or deciding to marry, and living as newlyweds. Keep each stage and its timing, without turning a promise or decision into a completed marriage.
婚約 identifies an engagement
婚約 (こんやく) means engagement. In “二人は家族に婚約を報告した。” (“The couple told their families about their engagement.”), the couple told their families about their engagement. The announcement concerns an engagement, rather than a completed marriage.
In “姉は大学時代からの友人と婚約した。” (“My older sister became engaged to a friend she had known since college.”), the speaker's older sister became engaged to a friend she had known since college. Their earlier acquaintance is background to the engagement; it does not report a wedding or the start of married life.
結婚 can occur in plans and decisions
結婚 (けっこん) means marriage. In “姉は来年の春に結婚する予定です。” (“My older sister plans to marry next spring.”), 予定 keeps the marriage in the plan for next spring. Giving a planned time does not make the marriage an event that has already happened.
In “二人は長い交際を経て結婚を決めました。” (“After a long relationship, the couple decided to get married.”), the couple decided to get married after a long relationship. 結婚を決めました reports their decision, which is distinct from reporting that they have married.
新婚 describes newly married life
新婚 (しんこん) describes being newly married. In “新婚の二人は駅の近くで暮らし始めた。” (“The newlywed couple began living near the station.”), the newlywed couple began living near the station. Their newlywed status differs from merely planning to marry.
In “伯母から新婚時代の写真を見せてもらった。” (“My aunt showed me photographs from when she was newly married.”), the aunt showed photographs from when she was newly married. The phrase recalls that period of her life; 新婚 alone does not establish a fixed number of months or years.
Does being engaged (婚約) or saying 結婚を決めました mean that the marriage has already taken place?
Show the answer and why
No. 婚約 identifies an engagement, and 結婚を決めました reports a decision to marry. Keep those stages separate from 新婚, which describes the newlywed couple's married state.