騒音（そうおん、souon）
- noise

The Japanese word 騒音 そうおん refers to "noise" or "sound pollution." It describes unwanted or excessive sound that can be disruptive, annoying, or even harmful to human health and well-being. This can include a wide range of sounds from traffic, construction, machinery, loud music, or even the voices of others. 騒音 is generally perceived as undesirable and often interferes with activities like sleep, conversation, and concentration.

⚫︎ 隣の工事の騒音 Translation: The noise from the construction next door. ⚫︎ 夜中のバイクの騒音で眠れなかった。 Translation: I couldn't sleep because of the noise from the motorcycles in the middle of the night. ⚫︎ この部屋は騒音が酷い。 Translation: This room is very noisy.

⚫︎ You can use 騒音 to complain about bothersome sounds. ⚫︎ It is used in formal and informal contexts. ⚫︎ It is important to remember 騒音 is used to describe the unwanted sound, and not just any sound. ⚫︎ You might use it when talking about issues with neighbors, environmental problems, or problems in a building.

⚫︎ 騒音 is primarily written in kanji and hiragana: 騒音. ⚫︎ The reading is そうおん in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 雑音 - ざつおん (noise, static) - This is a more general term for noise. ⚫︎ 騒がしい - さわがしい (noisy, boisterous) - This is an adjective describing a state of being noisy. ⚫︎ 物音 - ものおと (sound) - This is a general term for sound.

⚫︎ 静寂 - せいじゃく (silence, quiet) ⚫︎ 静か - しずか (quiet, peaceful) - An adjective describing the absence of noise.

近所の犬の鳴き声が騒音で困っています。 ・Translation: I am troubled by the barking of the neighbor's dog, which is noise. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a complaint about the sound of the dog barking, identifying it as 騒音 and thus an undesirable sound.

工事の騒音で集中できません。 ・Translation: I can't concentrate because of the construction noise. ・Explanation: This sentence explains how the construction noise, described as 騒音, is interfering with the speaker's ability to focus.

The word 騒音 is a compound word. 騒 (sō) means "noisy" or "disturbance," and 音 (on) means "sound." Therefore, the literal meaning of 騒音 is "noisy sound" or "disturbing sound." This compound word clearly indicates the negative connotation associated with the word.