分子

• 読み: ぶんし
• ローマ字: bunshi
• 漢字の分解: 分 (bun) — part, divide, minute; 子 (shi) — child, small thing
• 発音: /bɯɴ.ɕi/

意味

Molecule. The smallest unit of a chemical compound that retains its properties.

A noun used in chemistry and physics for the smallest particle of a substance that retains all the chemical properties of that substance. Consists of two or more atoms bonded together. Common collocations include 分子構造 (bunshi kouzou, molecular structure), 分子量 (bunshi ryou, molecular weight), and 水分子 (sui bunshi, water molecule). Note: 分子 also means 'numerator' in mathematics (the top number of a fraction).

例文

1. 水の分子は二つの水素原子と一つの酸素原子からできている。
2. 温度が上がると分子の運動が激しくなる。
3. この技術で一つ一つの分子を観察できるようになった。

使い方ガイド

場面: chemistry, physics, biology

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 分 (bun, part/divide) + 子 (shi, child/small thing). Literally 'divided small thing' — the smallest divisible unit of a chemical substance. The term was coined in Japan during the Meiji era to translate the Western scientific concept.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal