コンピュータ

• Reading: コンピュータ
• Romaji: konpyuuta
• Pronunciation: /koɴ.pʲɯː.ta/

Meaning

Computer; an electronic device for storing, processing, and retrieving data.

A loanword from English 'computer.' While パソコン (personal computer) is more common in daily conversation, コンピュータ is used in more formal, technical, or academic settings. Both コンピュータ and コンピューター (with long final vowel) are accepted spellings, with the shorter form preferred in technical writing.

Examples

1. コンピュータの性能は年々向上している。 Computer performance improves year after year.
2. 彼はコンピュータを使って音楽を作っている。 He uses a computer to make music.
3. 最初のコンピュータは部屋いっぱいの大きさだった。 The first computer was the size of an entire room.

Usage Guide

Context: technology, business, education

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'computer,' which derives from Latin 'computare' meaning to calculate. Entered Japanese in the postwar period with the rise of electronic computing.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal