パーセント

• Reading: パーセント
• Romaji: paasento
• Pronunciation: /paː.seɴ.to/

Meaning

Percent; a unit expressing a proportion out of one hundred.

A katakana loanword from English 'percent.' Used with numbers to express ratios, statistics, and probabilities. Pattern: number + パーセント (e.g. 50パーセント). In casual speech and writing, the symbol ％ is also widely used. Common in news, weather forecasts, academic writing, and business. Sometimes abbreviated as パー in very casual speech.

Examples

1. 明日の降水確率は80パーセントだ。 There's an 80 percent chance of rain tomorrow.
2. テストで90パーセント以上取りたい。 I want to score at least 90 percent on the test.
3. 売り上げが去年より20パーセント増えた。 Sales increased by 20 percent compared to last year.

Usage Guide

Context: statistics, weather, business

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'percent,' which itself derives from Latin 'per centum' (by the hundred). Entered Japanese through Western science and commerce during the Meiji era.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal