How to say "system" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 系けいnoun, noun (suffix)Covers 'system' in the sense of a lineage or group — a line of descent or a classification. It is chiefly seen as an element in larger words, and is seldom the word you want for a working system.With Windows OS systems 'administrator account' corresponds to 'root'.
- nounThe loanword; the word you want for a system as an organized whole of interworking parts — machinery, computers, methods, procedures — especially in technical, business or engineering contexts.
- 制度せいどnounCovers 'system' in the sense of an established institutional framework — the rules and arrangements a society sets up, as in legal, political, educational or administrative systems.
- 制せいnoun, noun (suffix)On its own, seldom the word you want for 'system': it chiefly appears as an element inside larger words, and its independent sense of 'imperial command' is a different meaning altogether.
- 体制たいせいnounCovers 'system' as the overall structure or set-up of an organization, government or group — how it is arranged and run; it can also suggest the established order.
Use 「システム」 for technical or mechanical systems, 制度 for institutional frameworks of rules, 体制 for the structure or set-up of an organization, and treat 系 and 制 as compound elements rather than standalone words.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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