The Meaning of gengo [言語] In Japanese

言語
げんご
Romaji: gengo N2

What does 言語 mean?

Translation and Meaning

language, tongue, speech

Definition

言語 (gengo) means language: a systematic set of symbols and rules used for communication. It refers to human languages in their spoken, written, or signed forms and encompasses vocabulary, grammar, and conventions for producing and interpreting meaning; the term is used to talk about specific languages (like English or Japanese), the abstract system behind them, and comparative or descriptive study of language.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. Refers to a specific tongue or national language distinct from dialects or registers.
  • 2. Used for the field of study or categories in linguistics when discussing language as an object.
  • 3. Applied broadly to any coded system of communication, including technical senses like programming languages.
  • 4. Contrasted with nonverbal communication when discussing verbal versus nonverbal modalities.

Origin

The compound arrived via Sino-Japanese vocabulary after kanji were adopted; its use to mean ‘language’ is rooted in classical Chinese usage and became standardized in Japanese writing and scholarship, with the modern technical and academic senses expanding during the Meiji period as Western linguistics entered Japan.

Composition

  • 言 (gen) — ‘to say’ or ‘speech’, indicating utterance or speaking.
  • 語 (go) — ‘word’ or ‘term’, often used for language or words; together they form the idea of the words/speech system that constitutes a language.

Usage

Commonly used in formal and academic contexts—textbooks, research, official documents—and in neutral statements about languages and language policy; it appears in everyday situations when naming or categorizing languages but speakers often prefer more casual words in conversation, and it also appears in technical contexts such as computing and education.
💡 Tips
Remember it as ‘gen’ (say) + ‘go’ (word): the words you say make up a language—gengo = language.

Variations

  • 言葉 (kotoba) — word/language (more casual, ‘words’ or ‘phrases’).
  • 語 (go) — suffix meaning ‘language’ used in compounds (e.g., English names).
  • 母語 (bogo) — mother tongue, native language.
  • 非言語 (higen-go) — nonverbal (literally ‘non-language’) used as antonym in communication studies.
言語