体脂肪率

• Reading: たいしぼうりつ
• Romaji: taishibō ritsu
• Kanji breakdown: 体 (body) + 脂肪 (fat; 脂 = fat/grease + 肪 = fat tissue) + 率 (rate, percentage) → body fat percentage
• Pronunciation: /ta.i.ɕi.boː.ɾi.tsu/

Meaning

Body fat percentage; a key health and fitness metric measuring the proportion of fat in the body.

体脂肪率 entered everyday vocabulary as home scales with body fat measurement became standard in Japanese households (thanks to brands like Tanita and Omron). It's now a more sophisticated metric than simple weight for fitness enthusiasts. Knowing one's 体脂肪率 is considered basic health literacy, and it's routinely discussed in gym culture, diet content, and health checkups.

Examples

1. 体脂肪率20%切るの目標にしてるけど全然減らない。 My goal is to get under 20% body fat but it's not going down at all.
2. この体重計、体脂肪率も測れるから便利だよ。 This scale measures body fat percentage too, so it's really handy.
3. 見た目は細いのに体脂肪率高い人っているよね。 There are people who look thin but actually have high body fat, right?

Usage Guide

Context: fitness, health, daily conversation

Tone: health-conscious, objective

Do Say

• 体脂肪率が気になるなら体重より筋肉量見た方がいいよ。 (If you care about body fat percentage, you should look at muscle mass rather than weight.)
• 筋トレ始めてから体脂肪率5%落ちた。 (My body fat dropped 5% since I started weight training.)

Don't Say

• 他人の体脂肪率を聞くのは失礼になることがある (Asking someone their body fat percentage can be rude — it's personal health data)

Common Mistakes

• Obsessing over 体脂肪率 numbers from home scales — these devices are estimates and can vary significantly based on hydration and timing

Origin & History

Medical/fitness compound: 体 (body) + 脂肪 (fat) + 率 (rate/percentage). Became mainstream vocabulary in the 2000s as Tanita and Omron popularized home body composition scales.

Cultural Context

Era: 2000s, with popularization of body composition scales

Generation: All ages, especially fitness-conscious 20s-40s

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Tanita (a Japanese company) pioneered consumer body fat scales and helped make this metric part of everyday health awareness.