遺伝子

• Reading: いでんし
• Romaji: idenshi
• Kanji breakdown: 遺 (i) — bequeath, leave behind; 伝 (den) — transmit, convey; 子 (shi) — child, element, particle
• Pronunciation: /i.deɴ.ɕi/

Meaning

Gene. A unit of heredity that determines a specific characteristic of an organism.

A noun used widely in science, medicine, and everyday conversation about genetics. The 子 (shi) suffix here means 'element' or 'particle' (as in 原子, 分子). Common collocations include 遺伝子組み換え (idenshi kumikae, genetic modification), 遺伝子検査 (idenshi kensa, genetic testing), and 遺伝子治療 (idenshi chiryou, gene therapy).

Examples

1. 遺伝子検査で病気のリスクが分かる。 Genetic testing can reveal the risk of disease.
2. 遺伝子組み換え食品の安全性が議論されている。 The safety of genetically modified foods is being debated.
3. 人間の遺伝子の数は約二万個と言われている。 It is said that humans have around 20,000 genes.

Usage Guide

Context: biology, medicine, technology

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From 遺伝 (iden, heredity) + 子 (shi, element/particle). A modern Japanese coinage parallelling Western 'gene.' The suffix 子 is used for small units or particles in scientific terminology.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal