Kanji 工 craft, construction, katakana e radical (no. 48) Related words 人造 also means 'man-made' but is used mainly for concrete physical objects (e.g. 人造人間 'android'), while 人工 is broader and common in abstract or technical contexts.
人工 is the common word for man-made objects (e.g. 人工衛星 ), while 人為 stresses the human cause behind an event or state rather than the object itself.
Opposites nature; natural; spontaneous · natural airhead; ditzy person
自然 refers to nature or things that occur naturally, contrasting with 人工 , which refers to things created by human effort.
人工 refers to things made or altered by humans, the opposite of the untouched grandeur implied by 大自然 .
人工 describes something man-made or artificial, the direct opposite of 原生 , which describes something in its untouched, natural state.
Don't confuse with 人口 (population) and 人工 (artificial/man-made) are pronounced identically but have completely unrelated meanings, so learners must rely on kanji or context.
人工 is the plain noun for 'artificial/man-made' used in compounds like 人工知能 , while 人工的 is the な -adjective form used to describe qualities directly.
Word family· 87 artificial grass; artificial turf
artificial; unnatural; man-made
artificial intelligence; AI
artificial satellite; man-made satellite
baby formula; infant formula; artificial milk
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artificial island; man-made island
artificial valve; artificial heart valve
artificial wood; faux wood
planted forest; artificial forest
artificial tooth; fake teeth
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Etymology Compound of 人 (human) and 工 (work, craft), literally 'human work'. The kanji combination is straightforward and the word has been used in its current sense since the Meiji era.
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