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人工 (じんこう, jinkou) Japanese meaning: artificial | Kotomora
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工こう
の
もの
だ
。
Research on artificial intelligence is advancing.
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.
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
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.
せい
人工 describes something man-made or artificial, the direct opposite of 原生, which describes something in its untouched, natural state.
人じん 工こう 衛えい 星せい
N1
artificial satellite; man-made satellite
baby formula; infant formula; artificial milk
Show 6 more artificial light
artificial island; man-made island
artificial valve; artificial heart valve
artificial wood; faux wood
planted forest; artificial forest
artificial tooth; fake teeth
