原子

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 原子, read げんし, means a very small particle that makes up matter.
• Basic usage: It is used to explain the composition of matter or to study how atoms bond using a model.
  • 原子は物質を構成する非常に小さな粒子だ。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Particle versus kind: 元素
  • 原子 refers to a particle, while 元素 is the concept used to classify atoms by kind. Referring to one oxygen atom has a different focus from referring to oxygen as an element.