1.
any physical device or material on which digital data can be recorded and later read back, such as a hard disk, SSD, USB flash drive, memory card, CD, or DVD; a storage medium
A technical cover term for any physical carrier of digital data. It includes hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), USB memory sticks, SD and microSD cards, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, magnetic tape, and (historically) floppy disks. The word is common in IT policy documents, product specifications, and news articles about data security. In everyday conversation, Japanese speakers usually use the more specific names like USBメモリ or SDカード.
USBメモリも記憶媒体の一種だ。
A USB stick is also a kind of storage medium.
大切なデータは複数の記憶媒体に保存しよう。
Save important data on multiple storage media.
古くなった記憶媒体は、必ずデータを消去してから処分する。
Always erase the data on old storage media before disposing of them.
社外への記憶媒体の持ち出しは、情報漏洩を防ぐために厳しく制限されている。
Taking storage media outside the company is strictly limited in order to prevent information leaks.
Composed of 記憶 (memory, recording) + 媒体 (medium, carrier, vehicle). Literally 'memory medium.' 媒体 is a productive compound element also used in 広告媒体 (advertising medium) and 情報媒体 (information medium).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 記憶媒体に保存する: to save to a storage medium
- 記憶媒体を接続する: to connect a storage device
- 外部記憶媒体: external storage medium
- 記憶媒体の容量: the capacity of a storage medium
- 記憶媒体を廃棄する: to dispose of a storage medium
TYPICAL EXAMPLES:
- USBメモリ: USB memory stick
- SDカード / microSDカード: SD card, microSD card
- 外付けハードディスク: external hard disk
- SSD: solid-state drive
- CD / DVD / ブルーレイ: optical discs
- 磁気テープ: magnetic tape (used for long-term backup)
- フロッピーディスク: floppy disk (historical)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 記録媒体: recording medium — a near-synonym, perhaps slightly more common in contexts involving recording (audio, video, photography) rather than general data storage.
- 記憶装置: storage device — emphasizes the device hardware (with built-in controller electronics) rather than the bare medium; includes RAM and CPU cache as well as external storage.
- ストレージ: storage — an increasingly common loanword in IT contexts, often referring to cloud storage or data storage systems.
- メディア: media — the loanword, used casually for the same concept (e.g. DVDメディア = 'DVD media').
DOMAIN NOTE:
In corporate information-security policies, '記憶媒体' is a standard keyword — the phrase 記憶媒体管理 ('storage media management') refers to the entire set of rules governing how employees can use, transport, and dispose of storage devices that might contain confidential data.
REGISTER:
Formal and technical. Common in written IT and business contexts. In casual speech, Japanese speakers use more specific words: USBメモリ, SDカード, ハードディスク, etc.