1.
coronavirus; COVID-19 (informal)
In everyday Japanese usage since 2020, refers to COVID-19 and the social impact of the pandemic. Used as a casual shorthand where English would more often say 'COVID'. The formal name is 新型コロナウイルス.
Originally short for コロナウイルス (coronavirus), but since the COVID-19 pandemic the word is almost always understood to mean COVID-19 specifically. The full formal name is 新型コロナウイルス感染症 (COVID-19).
Common collocations
- コロナにかかる: to catch COVID
- コロナ禍: the COVID pandemic / its impact (literary; very common in news)
- コロナ対策: COVID countermeasures
- ポストコロナ / アフターコロナ: post-COVID
- コロナワクチン: COVID vaccine
Note on usage
コロナ may also appear as a brand name (e.g., the Mexican beer or the Toyota Corona car), but in conversation since 2020 it overwhelmingly refers to COVID-19.