The Meaning of jouhou [情報] In Japanese

情報
じょうほう
Romaji: jouhou N3

What does 情報 mean?

Translation and Meaning

information, intelligence, data

Definition

情報 (jouhou) means information: broadly, facts, data, news, or signals collected, transmitted, or interpreted to reduce uncertainty or support decisions; it covers anything from raw data to summarized reports used in communication, media, business, security, and computing.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. Information as raw data or measurable signals used in analysis or systems.
  • 2. News or reports delivered to the public or specific audiences.
  • 3. Intelligence in security or military contexts—collected knowledge about people, groups, or events.
  • 4. Technical meaning in computing and information science referring to stored, transmitted, or processed data.
  • 5. Legal and administrative sense in phrases related to personal data and disclosure rules.

Etymology

情報 (jouhou) is a kango (Sino-Japanese) compound using on readings; the pronunciation follows Chinese-derived on’yomi patterns (jou + hou), formed in modern Japanese to express the concept equivalently to Western terms for information.

Origin

The modern use of 情報 (jouhou) expanded during the Meiji and Taishō eras as Japan adopted Western administrative, scientific, and military concepts; by the 20th century it became central in press reporting, intelligence services, and later proliferated with telecommunications and computer science.

Composition

  • 情 (jou) — feeling, emotion, state; denotes condition or sentiment that can be observed.
  • 報 (hou) — report, announce, reward; denotes conveying or reporting information.
  • Together they form the compound meaning information as reported or conveyed states and facts used to inform others.

Usage

Used across formal and informal contexts: technical writing, news media, government documents, IT and business settings, and everyday speech when referring to facts or news; commonly appears in compound terms for personal information, information sources, and data services and is appropriate in polite or neutral registers.
💡 Tips
Link the parts: think of 情 as ‘state/feeling’ and 報 as ‘report’—information is a reported state, so 情報 (jouhou) = reported facts.

Variations

  • データ (deeta) — data
  • 知識 (chishiki) — knowledge
  • 情報源 (jouhougen) — information source
  • インフォメーション (infomeeshon) — information (loanword, katakana)
  • 秘密 (himitsu) — secret (often an antonym in disclosure contexts)

Example Phrases

  • 詳しい情報はこの資料に書いてあります。
    Kuwashii jōhō wa kono shiryō ni kaite arimasu.
    This document contains detailed information.
    Lista:
    • 詳しい情報 (kuwashii jōhō) – detailed information
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • この (kono) – this
    • 資料 (shiryō) – document
    • に (ni) – in
    • 書いて (kaite) – writing
    • あります (arimasu) – exists
    詳しい is an i-adjective that directly modifies nouns; in this sentence it forms 「詳しい情報」 meaning ‘detailed information’.
  • 求人情報を 見て アルバイトに 応募して 返事を 待っています
    kyuujin jouhou wo mite arubaito ni oubo shite henji wo matte imasu
    I’m looking at job postings, applying for a part-time job, and waiting for a reply.
    Lista:
    • 求人情報を (kyuujin jouhou wo) – job information
    • 見て (mite) – look
    • アルバイトに (arubaito ni) – for a part-time job
    • 応募して (oubo shite) – apply
    • 返事を (henji wo) – a reply
    • 待っています (matte imasu) – waiting
    In this sentence, 「応募」 means ‘to apply’ and is used in the te-form 応募して to connect actions.
情報