欠陥（けっかん、keっkan）
- defect

The Japanese word 欠陥 (けっかん, kekkan) primarily means "defect," "fault," "flaw," or "deficiency." It refers to a problem or imperfection in something, whether it be a physical object, a system, a process, or even a person's character. The word implies that something is not functioning correctly or is not up to the expected standard. 欠陥 can range from minor imperfections to significant problems that render something unusable or ineffective.

⚫︎製品に欠陥があった。 Translation: There was a defect in the product. ⚫︎その計画にはいくつかの欠陥がある。 Translation: The plan has several flaws. ⚫︎彼の性格には大きな欠陥がある。 Translation: There's a major flaw in his personality.

You can use 欠陥 in various contexts. It's suitable for describing defects in manufactured goods, errors in systems, weaknesses in plans, or shortcomings in individuals or abstract concepts. When discussing problems, failures, or inadequacies, 欠陥 is a good choice. It is a formal word and it can be used in writing and formal conversations.

欠陥 is typically written using the kanji 欠陥. The reading is けっかん in hiragana. There are no common variations in how it is written. The okurigana is fixed; there are no different ways to add the suffix hiragana.

⚫︎ 不良 (ふりょう, furyou) - Defect, failure (often used for products) ⚫︎ 弱点 (じゃくてん, jakuten) - Weak point, weakness ⚫︎ 瑕疵 (かし, kashi) - Defect, flaw (more formal) ⚫︎ 問題点 (もんだいてん, mondaiten) - Problem point ⚫︎ 欠点 (けってん, ketten) - Weak point, shortcoming

⚫︎ 完璧 (かんぺき, kanpeki) - Perfection ⚫︎ 完全 (かんぜん, kanzen) - Complete, perfect ⚫︎ 良好 (りょうこう, ryoukou) - Favorable, good

この車のエンジンには、重大な欠陥が見つかった。 ・Translation: A serious defect was found in this car's engine. ・Explanation: This sentence highlights the severity of the problem with the car's engine.

このソフトウェアには、セキュリティ上の欠陥があるため、使用を避けるべきだ。 ・Translation: You should avoid using this software because it has security flaws. ・Explanation: This sentence emphasizes the potential risks associated with using software with security 欠陥.

The word 欠陥 is formed from two kanji. 欠 (ketsu) means "lack" or "deficiency," and 陥 (kan) means "to fall into," "to be trapped," or "defect." Therefore, the combination of these two characters suggests a state of lacking something or falling into a state of imperfection.