行列

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 行列 (ぎょうれつ) combines row or movement 行 with line 列 and has both an everyday and a mathematical sense.
• Basic usage: It can mean a queue of people or a matrix whose numbers are arranged in rows and columns.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A queue versus a matrix
  • 長い行列 is a line of people, whereas calculation with arranged numbers signals the mathematical meaning “matrix.”