How to Say "Square Root" in Japanese

平方根

heihōkon[he̞ːho̞ːkõ̞ɴ]

The Japanese term for "square root" is 平方根 (heihōkon).

Meaning: number (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 平方根 is composed of 平方 (heihō), meaning 'square' and 根 (kon), meaning 'root'.

heihōkon

The character 根 in 平方根 usually means 'root' as in a plant's root and is read as ne in most contexts, but changes to kon in this mathematical term.
The term 平方 (heihō) originates from ancient Chinese mathematics and literally refers to the 'equal sides' of a square.
While 平方根 is the formal mathematical term, in casual classroom settings or quick calculations, many people simply use the English-derived word 'root' or the katakana term ルート (rūto).

僕らは９の平方根は３だと学校で習った。
We learned at school that the square root of nine is three.
This sentence is useful for demonstrating how to express the square root of a number in a mathematical context using 平方根.
Tatoeba #81712 by bunbuku, translation #322003 by CK
ルート2
√2
ルート5
√5
ルート10
√10
平方根の計算は少し難しいです。
Heihoukon no keisan wa sukoshi muzukashii desu.
Calculating square roots is a little difficult.

Hiyori and Ren are studying math together at the library.

陽葵 Himari

蓮、この問題の平方根がわからないよ。
Ren, kono mondai no heifoukon ga wakaranai yo.
Ren, I don't know the square root for this problem.
蓮 Ren

僕が教えるよ。まずは公式を確認しよう。
boku ga oshieru yo. mazu wa koushiki o kakunin shiyou.
I'll teach you. First, let's check the formula.
陽葵 Himari

ありがとう。平方根って本当にややこしいね。
arigatou. heifoukon tte hontou ni yayakoshii ne.
Thanks. Square roots are really confusing, aren't they?
蓮 Ren

慣れれば簡単になるから大丈夫だよ。
narereba kantan ni naru kara daijoubu da yo.
It'll get easier once you get used to it, so it's okay.

Sources

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