人工衛星

• Reading: じんこうえいせい
• Romaji: jinkou eisei
• Kanji breakdown: 人工 (jinkou) — artificial, man-made; 衛 (ei) — guard, protect; 星 (sei) — star
• Pronunciation: /dʑiɴ.koː.eː.seː/

Meaning

Artificial satellite; man-made satellite orbiting the Earth.

A compound noun referring to any satellite launched into orbit by humans, used for communications, weather observation, GPS, or scientific research. Distinguished from 天然衛星 (natural satellites/moons). Japan's space agency JAXA has launched numerous 人工衛星 since the 1970s.

Examples

1. 日本は1970年に初めて人工衛星の打ち上げに成功した。 Japan successfully launched its first artificial satellite in 1970.
2. 人工衛星のおかげで天気予報の精度が上がった。 Thanks to artificial satellites, weather forecasts have become more accurate.
3. 宇宙には数千もの人工衛星が地球を回っている。 Thousands of artificial satellites are orbiting the Earth in space.

Usage Guide

Context: science, technology, news, space

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 人工 (jinkou, artificial/man-made) + 衛星 (eisei, satellite). 衛星 literally means 'guard star,' originally referring to moons that orbit planets like guards.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal