Japanese word

ウイルス

Pronunciation

Romajiuirusu

Meaning

  • nounvirus

Example

そのウイルスは広がっています。so no u i ru su wa hiro ga tte i ma su

That virus is spreading.

Illustration for ウイルス (virus)

More examples

外から帰ったら、手を洗ってウイルスを防ぎましょう。soto ka ra kae tta ra te o ara tte u i ru su o fuse gi ma shō

When you come home, wash your hands to help prevent viral infections.

Core concept

Describes a tiny infectious agent that enters living cells and uses them to make more copies.

Common phrases

  • ウイルスに感染するu i ru su ni kan sen su ru

    be infected with a virus

  • ウイルスを検出するu i ru su o ken shutsu su ru

    detect a virus

Similar words

病原体byōgentai: A disease-causing organism or agent that infects a living body.
細菌saikin: A microscopic single-celled organism that can cause disease and reproduce independently.

Definition in Japanese

生物の細胞に入り込み、細胞の働きを利用して増殖する病原体。sei butsu no sai bō ni hai ri ko mi sai bō no hatara ki o ri yō shi te zō shoku su ru byō gen tai

Word origin

The Japanese noun ウイルス (uirusu, "virus") comes from German Virus, ultimately from Latin virus, meaning "poison".

Usage tips

  • In English, virus refers both to a biological infectious agent and to a harmful computer program, so the context identifies the meaning.

Related words

  • ウイルス性uirususeiviralna-adjective

Word lists with this word