Meaning and Usage
"量" (りょう) primarily means "quantity" or "amount." It is used to describe how much of something there is, whether it be food, work, medicine, or other measurable items.
Common Contexts
You will often see "量" used in everyday situations such as cooking (e.g., salt or sugar amount), workload (amount of tasks), or dosage (medicine amount). It is a neutral noun and can be combined with counters or other nouns to specify the type of quantity.
Collocations and Patterns
- 量が多い／少ない: to express "a large/small amount" of something.
- 量を測る (はかる): to measure the quantity.
- 仕事の量: amount of work.
- 薬の量: amount/dosage of medicine.
Register and Nuance
"量" is a common and neutral word suitable for both casual and formal contexts. It is often used in instructions, descriptions, and everyday conversation.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "量" with "数" (すう), which means "number" and is used for countable items. "量" refers to an amount or volume, often uncountable or measured by weight, volume, or degree, while "数" is for discrete counts.