情報

• Reading: じょうほう
• Romaji: jouhou
• Kanji breakdown: 情 (jou) — feeling, emotion, situation; 報 (hou) — report, inform, reward
• Pronunciation: /dʑoː.hoː/

Meaning

Information; news; report; intelligence. Facts or details about a subject.

A noun used extremely broadly in modern Japanese. 情報 covers everything from casual news to classified intelligence. It is one of the most frequently used words in contemporary Japanese media and business. Common compounds include 情報技術 (information technology), 個人情報 (personal information), and 情報収集 (information gathering).

Examples

1. 正しい情報を見分けることが大切だ。 It's important to be able to distinguish accurate information.
2. 個人情報の取り扱いには注意が必要です。 Personal information must be handled with care.
3. ネットで旅行先の情報を調べた。 I looked up information about my travel destination online.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, news, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Composed of 情 (feeling, emotion, situation) and 報 (report, inform, reward). Originally meant reported situations, evolving to encompass all forms of communicated knowledge.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal