構造(こうぞう)

構造(こうぞう) refers to the internal arrangement of parts that make up a whole — how something is built or organized. It applies to physical objects, systems, and abstract concepts alike.

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

• 構造(こうぞう)的(てき): structural (as a na-adjective)
• 構造(こうぞう)改革(かいかく): structural reform
• 構造(こうぞう)上(じょう)の問題(もんだい): structural problem
• 構造(こうぞう)物(ぶつ): a structure (physical)

TYPICAL DOMAINS:

• 社会(しゃかい)構造(こうぞう): social structure
• 経済(けいざい)構造(こうぞう): economic structure
• 文(ぶん)の構造(こうぞう): sentence structure
• 建物(たてもの)の構造(こうぞう): building structure

SIMILAR WORDS:

• 仕組(しく)み: mechanism, how something works (more everyday)
• 組(く)み立(た)て: assembly, construction (emphasizes the process)