1The outward shape or structure of something, as distinguished from its content or substance.
会議の議事録は形式さえ整っていれば十分というものではない。
Meeting minutes aren't sufficient just because their format looks proper.
彼のスピーチは形式にとらわれすぎて、内容が薄かった。
His speech was too caught up in form and lacked substantial content.
形式と実質のどちらを重視するかで意見が分かれた。
Opinions were divided over whether to prioritize form or substance.
どんな形式であれ、伝えたい気持ちが大事だ。
Whatever the form, what matters is the feeling you want to convey.
2The particular format, style, or manner in which something (a document, event, etc.) is arranged or carried out.
履歴書は決められた形式で書くのが一般的だ。
Résumés are typically written in a prescribed format.
このセミナーは質疑応答形式で進められる。
This seminar will proceed in a question-and-answer format.
ファイルの形式をExcelからCSVに変換した。
I converted the file format from Excel to CSV.
3A merely ceremonial or procedural formality, lacking real substance — often used in the adjectival form 形式的.
上司への報告は形式だけで、実際には誰も読んでいない。
Reports to the boss are pure formality — nobody actually reads them.
形式ばった挨拶は苦手だ。
I'm not good at overly formal greetings.
その会議は形式上のもので、決定はすでに下されていた。
The meeting was a mere formality — the decision had already been made.
4In philosophy, the structural or outward aspect of something as opposed to its content — used in the classic content-versus-form contrast.
カントの美学では形式が重要な概念として論じられる。
In Kantian aesthetics, form is discussed as an important concept.
5In mathematics, a specific algebraic type that a polynomial expression takes, as in "quadratic form" or "bilinear form."
整数論では二次形式の理論が重要な役割を果たす。
In number theory, the theory of quadratic forms plays an important role.