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These four words all seem to mean "group," but what are the nuanced
differences? When can a group be identified with one/some of these but not the
others? How much overlap is there between them?

  * 組{くみ} as in 赤組 vs. 白組 (at an 運動会, for example , "white team" vs. "red team")
  * 団{だん} as in 劇団, 楽団, 応援団, 代表団
  * 班{はん} as in everything [here](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E7%8F%AD) since it seems to be used more as a single word than as part of a compound (example being 班にもっと頑張ってもらう)
  * 群{ぐん} (occasionally むれ when kun-yomi (but usually with okurigana?)) as in [here](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E7%BE%A4), for the same reasons as above (example [群]{むれ}を作って～の回りに集まる)
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2013-11-05T02:25:22.027
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2013-11-06T13:51:32.577
2013-11-05T11:58:43.933
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1797
question
word-choice words nuances
What is the difference between 組, 団, 班, and 群?
If I may apply the native speakers' standards, [群]{ぐん} or [群]{む}れ looks really
out of place with the other three words; It just does not belong in that
particular group of words.

There is a sense of "officialness" associated with the words 組, 団 and 班 with
membership, common purpose of existing, pecking order, etc. 群れ, however,
refers to a group of people that just happen to be someplace at the same time.
These people rarely form a social group.

Now the difficult part --- the differences among 組, 団 and 班. I am just giving
real-life examples. There is a ton of exceptions, though, I warn you.

In schools (elementary thru high school), all students of each grade is
divided into several 組（and those are called 一年三組、二年B組, etc.）. If a teacher
decides to divide his 組 into a number of small groups for a group project or
something, those small groups are most often called 班.

A 班 is always a sub-group within a larger group. In some companies, a
department may be divided into 班's.

団 is a group of people with the same or similar skills. It gives off a feeling
of professionalism and often strong unity. Examples are circuses, orchestras,
fire fighters, theatrical or ballet groups, etc.

Finally, for the curious, the generic name for an organized crime group is
[暴力団]{ぼうりょくだん} but the actual individual groups are most often named ～～[組]{ぐみ}
（not くみ）. Some call themselves ～～会.
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2013-11-05T13:44:42.747
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2013-11-06T13:51:32.577
2013-11-06T13:51:32.577
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answer