How to say "sediment" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 土砂どしゃnounCovers sediment in the physical, earthy sense: soil, sand, and debris moved by water or landslides. Typical of civil-engineering and disaster contexts such as riversides and slopes after heavy rain.
- nounCovers sediment as dregs or grounds — what settles out of a liquid such as tea, sake, or frying oil. Also means meal or leavings, so it suits residue in everyday or food contexts rather than geology.
- 遠沈えんちんnoun, suru verbA technical term for sediment formed by centrifuging, and also for the centrifuge process itself. Really laboratory jargon, seldom the word you want for sediment in ordinary senses.
- 沈渣ちんさnounA technical, scientific word for sediment or sludge that settles out of a liquid, common in chemistry and medicine. It does not fit geological or everyday contexts, where other words are natural.
- 堆積物たいせきぶつnounCovers sediment in the geological sense — material deposited and accumulated over time, such as layers on a lakebed or seafloor. It also means deposit generally, making it the natural choice for earth-science writing.
Use 土砂 for earth-and-sand sediment in the landscape, 「かす」 for dregs or grounds, 堆積物 for geological deposits, and the rarer technical terms 遠沈 and 沈渣 in laboratory contexts.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
