1.
curly brackets; braces
The punctuation marks { } used primarily in mathematics and programming. Called 中括弧 (middle brackets) because they fall between parentheses (small) and square brackets (large) in the Japanese bracket hierarchy.
中括弧の中にコードを書く。
Write the code inside curly brackets.
数学では、集合を中括弧で表す。
In mathematics, sets are represented with curly brackets.
中括弧を閉じ忘れるとエラーになる。
If you forget to close the curly bracket, you'll get an error.
Composed of 中 (middle) + 括弧 (brackets). In the traditional Japanese bracket naming convention, the three main types form a size hierarchy: 小括弧 (parentheses) < 中括弧 (curly brackets) < 大括弧 (square brackets). However, in modern usage, 丸括弧/角括弧/中括弧 (named by shape) is more common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 中括弧で囲む: to enclose in curly brackets
- 中括弧を開く: to open a curly bracket
- 中括弧を閉じる: to close a curly bracket
NAMING NOTE:
Also called 波括弧 (wave brackets) due to their curved shape. In programming contexts, the English loanword ブレース (brace) is sometimes used.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 丸括弧: parentheses ( ) -- the most common bracket type
- 角括弧: square brackets [ ] -- used in academic and technical writing