成分 — meaning in English: component

seibun · Learn this word with quizzes, examples and more on Maspeak.

Guess the translation for constituent

ダース

Dāsu

ロール

rōru

フライト

furaito

アルコール

arukōru

成分

seibun

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neutral common

Usage

Native speakers commonly use the word 成分 (seibun) when discussing ingredients in food, cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals. For example, in a grocery store, one might ask about the 成分 of a product to understand what it contains and how it could affect health.

Synonyms & nuances

A close synonym is 成分分析 (seibun bunseki), which means 'component analysis.' While 成分 refers to the components themselves, 成分分析 emphasizes the process of analyzing these components, making it more suitable in scientific contexts.

Culture

The term 成分 (seibun) has its roots in the Classical Chinese language, where 成 means 'to become' or 'to achieve' and 分 means 'part' or 'divide.' Its usage reflects the Japanese cultural emphasis on transparency and health consciousness, especially regarding food and consumer products, highlighting a societal trend toward informed choices.

FAQ

Q.What does 成分 (seibun) mean in English?

成分 (seibun) translates to 'component' in English, referring to the individual parts that make up a whole, such as ingredients in a product.

Q.How is 成分 used in sentences?

You might use 成分 in a sentence like: 'この食品の成分は何ですか？' (Kono shokuhin no seibun wa nan desu ka?), which means 'What are the components of this food product?'

Q.Are there common mistakes in using 成分?

A common mistake is using 成分 in contexts where the focus is on the overall quality or characteristics of a product instead of its individual components. For discussing qualities, words like 特徴 (tokuchou) meaning 'features' or 'characteristics' would be more appropriate.

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