How to say "entropy" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe general loanword for entropy, covering the thermodynamic and statistical-mechanics sense as well as information-theoretic uses. It is the everyday technical term in scientific writing, though flagged as less common in general language.
- 平均情報量へいきんじょうほうりょうnounA technical term for entropy in information theory, literally 'mean information content'. Use it only in that mathematical context when the average information of a source is meant, not for thermodynamic entropy.
For the physics/information-theory term, 「エントロピー」 is the usual choice; 平均情報量 covers entropy specifically in information theory, meaning average information content, so use it only in that technical sense.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
