Basic Japanese math terms

Working in IT companies as a engineer require lots of math terms and often used. Not only the engieers, but also sales and markers uses these terms in the work field such as wiring a report to the clients, explaing the system to the shareholders and clients, etc…

I had a chance to talk to a English speaking shareholder the other day explaing my company’s performance report and new product. It was a bit hard to explain our business model which includes simple math but the math terms did not come into my head quickly. As a memo of myself, I am listing a Japanese math terms with English.

Here is the list of basic Japanese math terms with English translation.

Bacis Japanese math terms

In Japanese math terms, a kanji ‘数’ (/kazu/, /suu/)is used often as a suffix to describe the numbers, and Mathmatics is called ‘数学’ (suugaku) literary means “number learning” and the kanji means “study of numbers”. You will find “数” many times in the list of terms.

Four arithmetic operations(四則演算)

add：足す /tasu/

subtract：引く /hiku/

multiply：掛ける /kakeru/

divide：割る /waru/

sum：総和 /souwa/

average：平均 /heikin/

Numbers

integer：整数 /seisuu/

real number：実数 /zissuu/

imaginary number：虚数 /kyosuu/

even：偶数 /gusuu/

odd：奇数 /kisuu/

prime number：素数 /sosuu/

decimals：小数 /shosu/

fractions：分数 /bunsu/

numerator：分子 /bunshi/

denominator：分母 /bunbo/

reciprocal：逆数 /gyakusuu/

percentage：割合、率 /wariai/ or /ritsu/

exponents：指数 /sisuu/

factor：因数 /insuu/

divisor：約数 /yakusuu/

multiple：倍数 /baisuu/

factorial：階乗 /kaizyou/

Geometry

circumference：円周 /enshu/

radius：半径 /hankei/

diameter：直径 /chokei/

area：面積 /menseki/

volume：体積 /taiseki/

triangle：三角形 /sankakukei/

quadrangle：四角形 /shikakukei/

Others

Simple equations：１次方程式 /ichizi hoteishiki/

Algebraic equations：代数方程式 /daisuu hoiteishiki/

Analytic geometry：解析幾何学 /kaiseki kikagaku/

Source

http://www.gtri.jp/skill/terms.html

http://www.qmss.jp/qmss/glossary/math-glossary-je.htm

I am not sure that you need to know all the terms here, but at least, four arithmetic operations and average, percentage, and probability(確率/kakuitsu/) is better to know to work in Japan. I am planning to post basic terms used among Japanese engineers in the future.