Japanese word

兼用

Pronunciation

Romajiken'yō

Meaning

  • noundual use

Example

この電話は仕事と私用の兼用です。ko no den wa wa shi goto to shi yō no ken yō de su

This phone is used for both work and personal use.

Illustration for 兼用 (dual use)

More examples

この部屋は寝室と書斎の兼用です。ko no heya wa shin shitsu to sho sai no ken yō de su

This room is used as both a bedroom and a study.

Core concept

Presents a single item as covering two or more distinct uses instead of being limited to one.

Common phrases

  • 公私兼用kō shi ken yō

    for both public and private use

  • 兼用の電話ken yō no den wa

    dual-use phone

  • 男女兼用の施設dan jo ken yō no shi setsu

    a facility for both men and women

Similar words

多目的tamokuteki: A quality of serving several different purposes, often through a planned design.
多用途tayōto: Designed to serve several different purposes.
汎用hanyō: Suitability for use in many different situations or for many different purposes.
併用heiyō: The use of two or more things, methods, or systems together for one purpose.

Definition in Japanese

一つの物や設備を、二つ以上の用途に共通して用いること。hito tsu no mono ya setsu bi o futa tsu i jō no yō to ni kyō tsū shi te mochi i ru ko to

Word origin

兼用 (ken'yō) is a compound of 兼 (ken, "also; combine") and 用 (yō, "use"), so its form reflects using something for multiple purposes.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, this noun commonly appears in product and facility descriptions, where its formal tone suits specifications more than casual conversation.

Opposites

Related words

  • 兼用するkenyōsuruuse for two purposesverb

Word lists with this word