Meaning and Usage
"パソコン" is the common Japanese abbreviation for "personal computer." It refers to desktop or laptop computers used for everyday tasks like browsing, emailing, and office work.
Common Contexts
You will often hear "パソコン" in conversations about buying, using, or repairing computers. It is a casual and widely understood term.
Collocations and Patterns
- パソコンを買う: to buy a computer
- パソコンで作業する: to work on a computer
- パソコンが壊れる: the computer breaks
Register and Nuance
"パソコン" is informal and used in daily conversation. In formal writing, "コンピューター" (computer) might also appear but "パソコン" is more common in spoken Japanese.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "パソコン" with "コンピューター." While both mean computer, "パソコン" specifically implies a personal computer, not large servers or mainframes.