Translation and Meaning of: 膨脹 - bouchou

The word 「膨脹」, read as "ぼうちょう" (bouchou), has a wide usage in the Japanese language, especially in the economic and scientific context. Basically, it refers to the concept of volume increase, expansion, or swelling. In the economic scope, it is used to indicate inflation processes, where there is a rise in prices due to various factors. In science, it can describe the phenomenon of the expansion of substances, such as the dilation of gases or liquids when heated.

The etymology of 「膨脹」 is composed of two distinct kanji. The first kanji, 「膨」 (bou), conveys the idea of expansion and swelling. This kanji arises from the combination of the radical 「月」, which relates to flesh or body, symbolizing something that swells, and the upper part that denotes growth or increase. The second kanji, 「脹」 (chou), carries the meaning of tension or stretching. It incorporates the radical 「月」 and a component related to the idea of lengthening or expanding.

The origin of 「膨脹」 takes into account the use of both kanji, which have a strong relation to significant physical changes, be it the swelling of the body or the expansion of materials. Historically, the word was adapted in Japan to describe concepts like economic inflation, as the country interacted more with western economies and needed an appropriate term for this financial phenomenon. Thus, besides being a word rich in meaning in scientific and physical contexts, 「膨脹」 also became crucial for modern economic discussions.

Vocabulary

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Synonyms and similar words

• 膨張 (Bōchō) - expansion
• 膨大 (Bōdai) - Excess, large volume
• 膨れ上がり (Fukureagari) - Growth; increase in volume
• 膨らみ (Fukurami) - Projection, swelling
• 膨らむ (Fukuramu) - Swell, increase in volume
• 膨らんでいる (Fukuran de iru) - It is swollen, it is increasing.
• 膨らんだ (Fukuranda) - Swollen, increased in volume
• 膨らみを見せる (Fukurami o miseru) - Show swelling
• 膨らみを持つ (Fukurami o motsu) - To have a swelling
• 膨らみがある (Fukurami ga aru) - There is swelling.
• 膨らみが見える (Fukurami ga mieru) - Swelling is visible
• 膨らみが出る (Fukurami ga deru) - The swelling appears
• 膨らみが増す (Fukurami ga masu) - The swelling increases.
• 膨らみが広がる (Fukurami ga hirogaru) - The swelling spreads
• 膨らみが拡大する (Fukurami ga kakudai suru) - The swelling expands
• 膨らみが膨張する (Fukurami ga bōchō suru) - The swelling expands
• 膨らみが膨れる (Fukurami ga fukureru) - The swelling increases.

膨脹

Romaji: bouchou
Kana: ぼうちょう
Type: Noun
L: jlpt-n1

Translation / Meaning: expansion; swelling; increase; growth

Meaning in English: expansion;swelling;increase;growth

Definition: To make something or a phenomenon bigger.

Example Sentences - (膨脹) bouchou

See below some example sentences:

膨脹した経済は持続可能ではない。

Bōchō shita keizai wa jizoku kanō de wa nai

An inflated economy is not sustainable.

The expanded economy is not sustainable.

• 膨脹した - The word that means "expanded" or "swollen".
• 経済 - The word that means "economy."
• は - Grammatical particle that indicates the topic of the sentence.
• 持続可能 - composite word that means "sustainable" or "long-term viable".
• ではない - expression that means "it's not".