人口
jinkō[d͡ʑĩŋko̞ː]
The Japanese word for population is 人口 (jinkō).
人口 refers to the number of people living within a specific political or geographical boundary, such as a city or a country. It is the standard term used for statistical or demographic contexts.
Meaning: all people living within a political or geographical boundary (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 人口 is composed of the characters for person (人) and mouth/opening (口), which together form the term for population.
Which one should you use?
While 人口 refers to a demographic population, you might encounter 総人口 when specifically referring to the total population. Additionally, the word 国民 is primarily translated as citizens or nationals, though it can sometimes be used to convey the idea of a population.
How do you pronounce it?
jinkō
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using 人数 when you mean a demographic population. While it sounds similar in concept, 人数 refers specifically to a count of people in a certain group, such as the number of people present at an event.
Did you know?
- When discussing a 'population' in a biological sense, such as a population of deer, Japanese uses 個体数 instead of 人口, because 人口 is strictly for humans.
- The term 人口 can be a homonym for 'man-made' when written as 人工, though they are distinguished by the kanji characters.
- The character 口 in 人口 means 'mouth', reflecting an ancient way of counting people by the number of mouths that needed to be fed.
Examples in context
- 人口は増加しつつある。The population is increasing.This sentence is useful for describing a population that is increasing using 人口.Tatoeba #144216 by bunbuku, translation #270349 by CK
- 人口は着実に増えていた。There was a steady increase in population.This sentence is useful for describing a steady increase in 人口.Tatoeba #11090435 by bunbuku, translation #270347 by CK
- この島の人口は何人ですか？What's the population of this island?This sentence is useful for asking about the 人口 of a specific location.Tatoeba #10337608 by small_snow, translation #9795472 by CK
- 日本の人口は約1億2千万人です。The population of Japan is approximately 120 million people.
- 総人口調査の結果によると、都市部の人口は増加傾向にあります。According to the results of the total population survey, urban population is showing an upward trend.
- みんなのために、人口問題について話し合いましょう。Let's discuss population issues for everyone.
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two university students are discussing a news report in a cafe.
- 結衣 Yuiこの町の人口はかなり少ないね。Kono machi no jinkou wa kanari sukunai ne.The population of this town is quite small, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだね、もっと増えるといいんだけど。Sou da ne, motto fueru to ii ndakedo.True, I hope it increases more.
- 結衣 Yui高齢化が進むと人口に影響するよね。Koureika ga susumu to jinkou ni eikyou suru yo ne.An aging society will affect the population, won't it?
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣の言う通り、深刻な問題だよ。Yui no iu toori, shinkoku na mondai da yo.It's a serious problem, just as you say, Yui.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “population” translations and entries 人口, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
