Technical and general term for substances that flow, encompassing both liquids and gases. Common in physics and engineering contexts.
The fluid flows through the pipe.
Fluid dynamics is an important field of engineering.
Both water and air are types of fluids.
The viscosity of this fluid changes with temperature.
Engineers work with a variety of fluids.
液体 refers specifically to liquids, whereas 流体 is the broader physics term covering both liquids and gases.
気体 refers specifically to gases, whereas 流体 is the broader physics term covering both liquids and gases.
Compound of 流 (ryū, 'flow') and 体 (tai, 'body'), literally 'flowing body'. The term was coined in the modern era as a translation of the Western scientific concept of 'fluid'.