Word
眼鏡
Meaning in Englishglasses
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Word context
What it means
Eye-wear designed to correct or improve vision. A frame-mounted pair of lenses placed before the eyes to help the wearer see more clearly.
Main meanings
- Eyewear used to correct vision, including reading, distance, and multifocal lenses.
- General term for eyewear in formal writing or product names, broader than casual speech.
How to use it
Used in everyday conversation to refer to eyewear; formal contexts prefer 眼鏡 in writing and signage; common constructions include 眼鏡をかける, 眼鏡を外す, 眼鏡店へ行く.
Variants and close terms
- メガネ (megane) — common spoken form
- サングラス (sangurasu) — sunglasses; related eyewear
Composition
- 眼: eye
- 鏡: mirror
- Together they evoke a device before the eye used to reflect or clarify sight; diachronic sense: eyewear
Etymology
眼 + 鏡 → megane; the term is built from eye and mirror characters, with rendaku altering the second element's initial sound to produce the spoken form.
Origin
Eyeglasses were introduced to Japan in the 16th–17th centuries through Portuguese and Dutch traders; the term 眼鏡 became established in Edo-period usage.
Word class
noun (名詞)
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