自 然 選 択(しぜんせんたく)

しぜんせんたく

noun

natural selection

1. natural selection

The evolutionary process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The central mechanism of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

自然選択(しぜんせんたく)による進化(しんか)。

Evolution by natural selection.

自然選択(しぜんせんたく)は進化論(しんかろん)の基本(きほん)概念(がいねん)だ。

Natural selection is a fundamental concept of evolutionary theory.

環境(かんきょう)に適応(てきおう)した個体(こたい)が生(い)き残(のこ)るという自然選択(しぜんせんたく)の仕組(しく)みは、ダーウィンによって提唱(ていしょう)された。

The mechanism of natural selection, where individuals adapted to their environment survive, was proposed by Darwin.

Composed of 自然(しぜん) (nature, natural) and 選択(せんたく) (selection, choice). The standard Japanese term for Charles Darwin's concept of natural selection.

Common collocations

自然選択(しぜんせんたく)による進化(しんか): evolution by natural selection
自然選択(しぜんせんたく)の理論(りろん): theory of natural selection
自然選択(しぜんせんたく)が働(はたら)く: natural selection is at work
自然選択(しぜんせんたく)の圧力(あつりょく): selective pressure

Related words

自然淘汰(しぜんとうた): natural selection (older/literary term) — uses the more literary 淘汰(とうた) (weeding out)
進化(しんか): evolution — the broader process
適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん): survival of the fittest — a related concept
突然変異(とつぜんへんい): mutation — another mechanism of evolution

Usage

自然淘汰(しぜんとうた) is an older synonym that is still widely used. Both terms are correct, but 自然選択(しぜんせんたく) is now the standard scientific term.

Related Words

Related: 進化(しんか) (evolution)

Related: 適者生存(てきしゃせいぞん) (survival of the fittest)

Related: 突然変異(とつぜんへんい) (mutation)

general

Added 2026.4.5 6:17 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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