音波(おんぱ)

おんぱ
noun
sound wave; acoustic wave
technicalscience
1. sound wave; acoustic wave
A mechanical wave that propagates through a medium such as air or water and is perceived as sound. Used in physics, engineering, and medical imaging contexts.
音波(おんぱ)は空気(くうき)中(ちゅう)を伝(つた)わる。
Sound waves travel through the air.
超音波(ちょうおんぱ)は人間(にんげん)には聞(き)こえない音波(おんぱ)だ。
Ultrasound is a sound wave that humans cannot hear.
コウモリは音波(おんぱ)を使(つか)って周(まわ)りの物(もの)の位置(いち)を知(し)る。
Bats use sound waves to locate objects around them.

Compound of 音(おん) (sound) + 波(ぱ) (wave). A technical term used mainly in scientific contexts.

Common collocations

Related wave terms

  • 超音波(ちょうおんぱ): ultrasound — sound waves above human hearing
  • 電波(でんぱ): radio wave — electromagnetic, not mechanical
  • 振動(しんどう): vibration — the physical motion that produces sound

Usage

In everyday conversation, the more colloquial 音(おと) (sound) is far more common. 音波(おんぱ) appears in physics, engineering, and medical contexts.

Related Words

Related: 電波(でんぱ) (radio wave)
Related: 振動(しんどう) (vibration)
general
Added 2026.5.13 8:52 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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