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都市鉱山 (toshikouzan) Japanese meaning: urban mine | Kotomora

都と市し鉱こう山ざん

と

し

こ

う

ざ

ん

Meanings

1

urban mine

Refers to discarded electronic devices and other urban waste that contain valuable metals and can be recycled as resources.

使し用よう済ずみの携けい帯たい電でん話わは都と市し鉱こう山ざんと呼よばれる資

し

源げん

の

宝ほう

庫こ

だ

。

Used mobile phones are a treasure trove of resources called urban mines.

Kanji

都metropolis, capital, all
市market, city, town
鉱mineral, ore
山mountain

Related words

リサイクル
リサイクル is the general process of recycling, while 都市鉱山 specifically refers to the accumulated waste itself as a source of materials.

Built from

都と市し+鉱こう山ざん

Etymology

Compound of 都市 (city) and 鉱山 (mine), literally 'city mine'. A relatively modern term reflecting the concept of recovering resources from urban waste.