Translation guide
The English word "decompression" has several distinct meanings, from medical and technical contexts to figurative relaxation. This guide helps you choose the right Japanese expression for each situation.
Reducing pressure on the body, such as in decompression sickness or surgical decompression.
General term for decompression in medical and technical contexts. Used in phrases like 'decompression sickness'.
減圧症はダイバーにとって危険です。
Decompression sickness is dangerous for divers.
Specifically refers to surgical decompression, e.g., for spinal stenosis.
彼は脊柱管狭窄症の減圧手術を受けた。
He underwent decompression surgery for spinal stenosis.
Reducing pressure in a sealed environment, such as in diving, aviation, or industrial processes.
Same term as medical, but used in engineering contexts. Often part of compound words.
潜水艦は浮上する前に減圧が必要だ。
The submarine needs decompression before surfacing.
Decompression chamber, used for treating divers or in hyperbaric medicine.
減圧室で治療を受けた。
I received treatment in a decompression chamber.
Restoring compressed data to its original form.
Literally 'thawing', this is the most common term for decompressing files, especially archives like ZIP.
このファイルを解凍してください。
Please decompress this file.
Means 'expand' or 'extract', often used in software menus. Slightly more formal than 解凍.
Technical term for decompression in signal processing or specific algorithms. Rare in everyday use.
Relieving mental stress or taking a break to unwind.
There is no direct Japanese equivalent for figurative 'decompression'. Instead, describe the action of relaxing or relieving stress.
仕事の後は、ゆっくりしてストレスを解消する必要がある。
After work, I need to decompress and relieve stress.
Literally 'change of mood', used for taking a break to refresh oneself. Close to 'decompress' in casual contexts.
散歩は良い気分転換になる。
A walk is a good way to decompress.
Loanword from English 'relax'. Very common and natural for unwinding.
家に帰ってリラックスしたい。
I want to go home and decompress.
Do not use 減圧 (gen'atsu) to mean mental relaxation. It sounds like you are physically depressurizing your mind, which is unnatural and confusing.
解凍 (kaitō) is more common in everyday computer use, while 展開 (tenkai) appears in formal software interfaces. Both are understood, but 解凍 is the safer choice for spoken Japanese.
圧縮ファイルを展開する。
Decompress the compressed file.
データ伸長アルゴリズム
data decompression algorithm