イコール

Japanese

Etymology

Borrowed from English equal.

First cited to a text from 1901.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) イコ​ール [ìkóꜜòrù] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [iko̞ːɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Adjective

イコール • (ikōru) -na (adnominal イコールな (ikōru na na), adverbial イコールに (ikōru ni ni))

1. [from 1936] equal, equivalent, the same

   Synonyms: 等しい (hitoshii, “equivalent”), 同じ (onaji, “same”)

   これらの現(げん)象(しょう)はイコールな関(かん)係(けい)にあります。

   Korera no genshō wa ikōru na kankei ni arimasu.

   These phenomena are in an equivalent relationship.

   お互(たが)いにイコールな関(かん)係(けい)で向(む)き合(あ)う

   otagai ni ikōru na kankei de mukiau

   they meet in an equal relationship to each other

   我(が)慢(まん)できると大(だい)丈(じょう)夫(ぶ)はイコールじゃない

   gaman dekiru to daijōbu wa ikōru ja nai

   being able to get by and being okay are not the same

Noun

イコール • (ikōru) 

1. [from 1901] the equals sign, =

Particle

イコール • (ikōru) 

1. [from at least 1971] (informal) equals, is equal to, is equivalent to, entails

   ○○って、イコール☆☆でしょ。

   ○○ Tte, ikōru ☆☆ desho.

   ○○ is equal to ☆☆, right?

   彼(かれ)氏(し)いない歴(れき)イコール年(ねん)齢(れい)の大(だい)学(がく)生(せい)

   kareshi inai reki ikōru nenrei no daigakusei

   college student whose history of not having a boyfriend is equal to their age

   泣(な)くイコール弱(よわ)いという考(かんが)え方(かた)

   naku ikōru yowai to iu kangae-kata

   the belief that crying entails being a weakling

   • 2009, 石原加受子, 「つい悩んでしまう」がなくなるコツ, すばる舎, page ?:

     そもそも、こんな望(のぞ)んでもいない自(じ)分(ぶん)になることが、イコール「悩(なや)みが解(かい)消(しょう)した状(じょう)態(たい)」と思(おも)い込(こ)んでいることが、間(ま)違(ちが)っていると思(おも)いませんか？

     Somosomo, konna nozonde mo inai jibun ni naru koto ga, ikōru “nayami ga kaishō shita jōtai” to omoikonde iru koto ga, machigatte iru to omoimasen ka?

     Don't you think it's a mistake in the first place to believe that this kind of "you" that you didn't even hope for equals "having all your worries cleared away"?

Usage notes

Usage of this term is unusual for Japanese grammar. This behaves in an attributive manner, coming immediately after a noun or noun phrase (with that noun phrase occasionally taking the subject particle が (ga)), and then modifying a following noun or noun phrase. However, the word ikōru does not belong to any of the classes of words that normally function attributively in Japanese: it is not a verb or adjective. Nor does this usage include the attributive particles の (no) or な (na) after ikōru.

This construction appears to have developed from use of the term in mathematics, where equations are written and read much in the same manner as in English: 1 + 1 = 2, ichi purasu ichi ikōru ni.