Differences of 規範 vs 基準 vs 標準


The title is pretty much the question. All three of these mean something like,
"standard, norm, etc". I found the following example sentences that helped me
get an initial sense of the words:

* * *

**規範｛きはん｝：**

倫理学｛りんりがく｝というのは、行動の規範の意味する。

Ethics means the rules of conduct.

それは私たちの道徳的｛どうとくてき｝規範には受け入れられない。

It is not acceptable to our moral code.

* * *

**基準｛きじゅん｝：**

あいての基準を受け入れるのは、そのあいての力に服従することだ。

Accepting the other's norms is submitting to the other's power.

* * *

**標準｛ひょうじゅん｝：**

このシャツは標準サイズだ。

This shirt is standard size.

* * *

I get the feeling that 標準 refers to a "tangible" standard -- maybe a property
of something -- and 規範 has a meaning that has to do with rules, but is there a
more succinct definition of each of these three that is sufficiently different
that I don't essentially end up with three different flash cards that say
"standard (of the x type)"?




規範 is "norm", a pattern of behavior which your society/religion/company/etc
expect on you (usually ethically). It's a relatively uncommon word.
「キリスト教における生活の規範」「社会規範」

標準 has two major meanings, but both correspond to "standard".

  1. average; normal; ordinary. 「標準的な身長の男」「標準サイズの靴」「標準モデルの車 (as opposed to premium model)」
  2. standard as in technical standard. It's something widely shared and respected among people, and it often has to be explained by a fairly long document. 「標準的な日本語」「HTML標準」「国際的標準に従う」

基準 is like 標準 but usually refers to much smaller things, such as a reference
point, a baseline value, a criterion, or a threshold, with which you make some
judgement or measurement. It may or may not be widely shared among people. For
example, if you temporarily decide "I will reject students with scores below
60," that's a 基準 but not a 標準. 「メタスコアを基準にしてゲームを選ぶ」「診断基準 (diagnostic
criteria)」「基準点 (point of reference)」

基準 has the broadest sense among the three, and they're often interchangeable.
For example [Pantone color
system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantone#Pantone_Color_Matching_System)
is safely called both 標準 and 基準. What's written on Code of Hammurabi is 規範 as
well as 基準.




規範 is "norm", a pattern of behavior which your society/religion/company/etc
expect on you (usually ethically). It's a relatively uncommon word.
「キリスト教における生活の規範」「社会規範」

標準 has two major meanings, but both correspond to "standard".

  1. average; normal; ordinary. 「標準的な身長の男」「標準サイズの靴」「標準モデルの車 (as opposed to premium model)」
  2. standard as in technical standard. It's something widely shared and respected among people, and it often has to be explained by a fairly long document. 「標準的な日本語」「HTML標準」「国際的標準に従う」

基準 is like 標準 but usually refers to much smaller things, such as a reference
point, a baseline value, a criterion, or a threshold, with which you make some
judgement or measurement. It may or may not be widely shared among people. For
example, if you temporarily decide "I will reject students with scores below
60," that's a 基準 but not a 標準. 「メタスコアを基準にしてゲームを選ぶ」「診断基準 (diagnostic
criteria)」「基準点 (point of reference)」

基準 has the broadest sense among the three, and they're often interchangeable.
For example [Pantone color
system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantone#Pantone_Color_Matching_System)
is safely called both 標準 and 基準. What's written on Code of Hammurabi is 規範 as
well as 基準.

