Japanese Conversation · Level 12
90 words
Japanese word
マイナス
Pronunciation
Romajimainasu
Meaning
- nounminus
Example
今日はマイナス五度です。kyō wa ma i na su go do de su
It is minus five degrees today.
More examples
この式では、マイナスの記号を使います。ko no shiki de wa ma i na su no ki gō o tsuka i ma su
In this equation, I use a minus sign.
Core concept
Marks a value as lower than a standard or shows that one amount is taken away from another.
Common phrases
マイナス五度ma i na su go do
minus five degrees
マイナスの記号ma i na su no ki gō
minus sign
Similar words
引き算hikizan: The operation of taking one number away from another.
負号fugō: The sign used to show that a number is negative.
負数fusū: A number that is less than zero.
Definition in Japanese
基準より低い数値であること。また、ある数から他の数を差し引くこと。ki jun yo ri hiku i sū chi de a ru ko to ma ta a ru kazu ka ra hoka no kazu o sa shi hi ku ko to
Word origin
マイナス (mainasu) was borrowed from English minus, a word derived from Latin minus, meaning "less".
Usage tips
- In spoken English, "minus" is used before a temperature below zero and before a negative number, making it common in weather and simple mathematics.
Other meanings
- subtractionnoun
Opposites
- プラスpurasuplusnoun