Word Detail

The Japanese word 再起動 (さいきどう) means "restart," "reboot," or "relaunch." It refers to the act of starting something again, usually a machine or a program, from the beginning. This can involve shutting down and then starting up again, or initiating a process that refreshes or resets the system. The meaning focuses on the action of beginning anew.

⚫︎パソコンを再起動してください。 Translation: Please restart your computer. ⚫︎プログラムがフリーズしたので、再起動が必要でした。 Translation: Because the program froze, a restart was necessary. ⚫︎携帯電話を再起動すると、問題が解決することがあります。 Translation: Restarting your mobile phone sometimes solves the problem.

再起動 is used in various contexts, particularly when dealing with computers, software, or electronic devices. It is a common term in technical support and troubleshooting. It can also be applied more broadly to situations where you need to start something over. It’s typically used as a verb (再起動する - saikidou suru: to restart) but can also be a noun (再起動 - saikidou: restart).

再起動 is written with the following: ⚫︎ Kanji: 再起動 ⚫︎ Hiragana: さいきどう The okurigana (送りがな - suffix hiragana) is usually "起動" as a single unit, and not separated.

There aren't many direct synonyms that perfectly capture the nuance of 再起動, but here are some related words: ⚫︎ リスタート (risutāto) - restart (loanword from English) ⚫︎ 再生 (saisei) - to replay, reproduce (can be used in some contexts, but not directly for restarting a device) ⚫︎ 始める (hajimeru) - to begin, to start (general term)

⚫︎ 終了 (shūryō) - to finish, to end ⚫︎ 停止 (teishi) - to stop, to halt ⚫︎ シャットダウン (shattodaun) - shutdown (loanword from English)

パソコンが遅いので、再起動してみます。 ・Translation: My computer is slow, so I will try restarting it. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 再起動 to describe the action of restarting a computer to improve performance.

エラーが発生したので、ソフトウェアを再起動する必要がありました。 ・Translation: An error occurred, so it was necessary to restart the software. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 再起動 in a software-related context after an error.

The word 再起動 is formed from: ⚫︎ 再 (sai) - again, re- (prefix) ⚫︎ 起動 (kidō) - start-up, activation Therefore, 再起動 literally means "re-start-up" or "re-activation."