和解

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 和解, read わかい, and it combines 和, meaning harmony, with 解, meaning resolve or untie.
• Basic usage: The basic sense of 和解 is reconciliation between people or a settlement reached by parties to resolve a dispute.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Personal reconciliation and legal settlement
  • The forms are 和解した and 和解案. The first describes people reconciling, while the second is a proposed settlement intended to end a dispute.
• Brothers and a court-based proposal
  • 長く争っていた兄弟がようやく和解した。 — The brothers who had long been at odds finally reconciled.
  • 双方は裁判所の提案を基に和解案をまとめた。 — The two sides drafted a settlement based on the court's proposal.