アイコン

• Reading: アイコン
• Romaji: aikon
• Pronunciation: /a.i.koɴ/

Meaning

Icon; a small pictorial symbol on a screen or interface.

A katakana loanword from English 'icon.' Commonly used in IT and everyday contexts to refer to app icons, desktop icons, or profile pictures on social media. Also used figuratively to mean a symbolic representation.

Examples

1. スマホのホーム画面にアイコンが多すぎて整理したい。 There are too many icons on my phone's home screen and I want to organize them.
2. このアプリのアイコンはとてもかわいいデザインだ。 The design of this app's icon is really cute.
3. SNSのアイコンを新しい写真に変えた。 I changed my social media profile picture to a new photo.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, social media, design

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From English 'icon,' itself from Greek 'eikōn' meaning image or likeness. Entered Japanese as a computing and design term.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal