Japanese vocabulary for computers and computer science

When learning a new language like Japanese, reaching fluency requires learning some vocabulary from specialized topics.

Computer-related vocabulary terms have become ubiquitous in day-to-day conversations. The purpose of this article is to teach some of the important Japanese vocabulary words related to computers.

We'll start with basic Japanese computer vocabulary, which is useful for everyone who is learning Japanese. Next we'll move on to some Japanese computer science vocabulary terms which are useful for those working in software-related occupations

After learning these you'll be one step closer to speaking Japanese at a native level.
Computer keyboard with Japanese language characters

Japanese computer vocabulary

To start with, let’s learn some Japanese vocabulary relating to a computer’s physical parts. Before you turn on a computer, you’ll come across a number of different pieces of hardware. Here’s a list:

You might notice that many of these words are katakana and based off of English words. As you’ll see in this article, this is very common when it comes to computing related vocabulary. This makes learning these words an easier task.

You might also notice that in Japanese there are separate words for PC and computer. Both can be used interchangeably in most situations, but PC technically refers to one’s private computer, whilst computer is more commonly used in the workplace.

Here’s some example sentences:

Next up are the Japanese words for turning a computer on and off. While you won’t use these words often, they are commonly used when troubleshooting problems with computers, so you need to know them.

Lastly, let’s learn some general computing terms. These are common enough that any adult in Japan should be able to read and understand them, especially those who work with computers.

One thing to note here is that software can be referred to with two different terms. They mean the same thing; one is just an abbreviation of the other.

People generally use the abbreviation in casual conversations, and the longer word in more work-based environments.

Japanese software-related vocabulary

Next up, let’s discuss the Japanese vocabulary that you’ll commonly encounter when using various different types of software. Most people who use computers regularly should recognize the majority of these terms. First, let’s look at some general ones:

Some of these words feature kanji, which can make them difficult to remember. However, since these words are very common in computing, you’ll likely encounter them regularly enough that you’ll learn them naturally.

Let's see these words used in Japanese sentences:

Next, let’s take a quick look at a few words that you might come across when downloading new software:

The first three words all refer to the version of software that you are downloading, informing you whether the software is still in development, and whether you are downloading the complete software or not. The final term, user, commonly appears when accepting terms and conditions to use different pieces of software.

Japanese computer science vocabulary

Now we’re onto the complex stuff. Japanese computer science vocabulary is mostly split between katakana and kanji words. That means that around half the words are going to be very easy to pick up, while the other half might take you a while to remember.

First let’s run through the easy katakana terms.

As you can see, these Japanese words are all pretty straightforward for anyone who already knows the English equivalents. They’re all nouns, though some can be followed by the verb ‘する’ (Suru – To do) to turn them into a verb, just as how you can use them as verbs in English.

Let's see how these vocabulary words are used in Japanese sentences:

Next, let’s look at some Japanese computer science vocabulary words that are written in kanji:

While there are a lot of different kanji in these words, many people studying Japanese will recognize a lot of them. That’s because most of the kanji used here are actually used in a lot of simple words too, so they’re not quite as difficult as they might seem at first.

Let’s look a how these vocabulary words are used in Japanese sentences:

Conclusion

So, did you learn some new Japanese vocabulary words? Perhaps you’re interested in taking a look at some programming jobs in Japan now? If you’ve got the skills, and the portfolio to prove it, then you have every chance of landing a programming job in Japan. Best of luck with the job hunting!

By Jake Hallows
Jake is a Japanese translator who has spent time working as an English teacher in Hokkaido, Japan. His hobbies include reading manga, playing video games and studying foreign culture.