1.
pedometer; step counter
A device that counts the number of steps a person takes. Originally a standalone device, now commonly a feature in smartphones and smartwatches.
万歩計で歩数を記録している。
I'm recording my steps with a pedometer.
今日は万歩計が一万歩を超えた。
Today my pedometer went over ten thousand steps.
スマホの万歩計アプリを使って、毎日の運動量を管理している。
I use a pedometer app on my phone to track my daily exercise.
Composed of 万歩 (ten thousand steps) + 計 (meter, gauge). The name references the popular health guideline of walking 一万歩 (10,000 steps) per day.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 万歩計をつける: to wear a pedometer
- 万歩計で計る: to measure with a pedometer
- 万歩計アプリ: pedometer app
CULTURAL NOTE:
The 10,000 steps per day guideline actually originated in Japan in the 1960s with the marketing of a pedometer called 万歩計 (literally 'ten-thousand-step meter'). The name itself helped popularize the 10,000-step goal worldwide. Today, 歩数計 is the more technically precise term, but 万歩計 remains far more commonly used in everyday speech.