精読

• 読み: せいどく
• ローマ字: seidoku
• 漢字の分解: 精 (sei) — careful, refined, thorough; 読 (doku) — reading
• 発音: /se.i.do.kɯ/

意味

Close reading; careful reading; intensive reading. The practice of reading a text slowly and attentively to fully understand its meaning, nuances, and structure.

A noun and verb (精読する). Contrasts with 速読 (sokudoku — speed reading). In literary studies, 精読 refers to a methodology of close analysis that examines language, imagery, and rhetoric in depth. In language learning, it denotes thorough comprehension work on a text, often with dictionary use and annotation. Common in academic, legal, and literary contexts where precision is paramount.

例文

1. この条約の文言は精読しないと、含意を見落としてしまう。
2. 難解な古典を精読することで、語彙力が格段に伸びた。
3. ゼミでは毎週論文を一本精読し、全員で議論する。

使い方ガイド

場面: academia, literature, language learning

トーン: scholarly

起源と歴史

From 精 (sei — careful, thorough, refined) and 読 (doku — reading). The character 精 carries the sense of doing something with great care and refinement — making 精読 mean reading with full, undivided attention.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Students, scholars

社会的背景: Academic