放射化学および核化学についての和製用語の特徴: 科学技術分野における東西文化交流の一側面

Abstract

This is a note on how Japanese terminology on radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry was established after discovery of radioactivity in European academia. Nuclear science and technology started at discovery of radiation and radioactivity in 1890's at the middle of Meiji era, when lots of terms on new concepts in science and technology established in the West flew into Japanese academia, just established. Those terms were translated into Japanese, using both Chinese ‘kanji’ characters and phonetic ‘kana’ alphabets. Some terms noted by ‘kanji’ characters were exported to China whereas most of Japanese words and terms with ‘kanji’ were born in China and imported into Japan for two thousand years of cultural exchange in the east Asian history.