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Recently, I came across this word: 正規品{せいきひん}

None of online dictionaries that I know had registered the term at all. I could not find such word in search result of jisho.org or search result of dictionary.goo.nee.jp, for example. Also, none of physical dictionaries that I have had anything to do with the term.

I found this Windows support page in Japanese that contain the term (in bold):

Windows の使用中に「正規品ではありません」のメッセージが表示される場合の対処方法

That is similar to this Windows support page in English that describes the well known message "Windows is not Genuine". Based on this, I am aware that 正規品 could mean 'genuine'.

But when I reverse look up the word 'genuine' in English-Japanese dictionary, the term 正規品 was not suggested. Without notable reference, this definition is not trustworthy.

Another clue I have is that the Japanese input method (Mozc) that I am using, was able to suggest 正規品 when I start typing せいき, despite there are many words that begin with 正規, which mostly translates to 'regular' or 'normal'. That has nothing to do with 'genuine'.

So what does 正規品 mean, really?

I am looking for an answer that can explain the meaning, as well as the usage of this word i.e. whether 正規品 is a technical term in some fields, abbreviation of a more complete term, or something else that I may have missed.

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    some info and examples: ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E6%AD%A3%E8%A6%8F%E5%93%81
    – kuchitsu
    Jan 29, 2018 at 18:24
  • @kuchitsu Ah, I missed the link to that dictionary. So there seems to be several meanings for the same word, depending on the context. Can anyone elaborate and clarify the usage?
    – user15816
    Jan 30, 2018 at 14:27

2 Answers 2

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Based on this Q&A:

https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1312139638

正規品 is another way of saying 本物. If you look at the Jisho definition of 正規, you'll see that one of the meanings is "legitimate." So 正規品 are legitimate goods, rather than a knockoff or a pirated copy. "Genuine" is another reasonable definition.

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  • The linked Q&A at Yahoo! Japan has the definition suggested with respect to the word usage at auction site. While the answer may be correct, there is no explanation on how the definition may differ when used in different context as hinted by someone else.
    – user15816
    Jan 30, 2018 at 14:43
  • Clearkimura-san, it sounds like you’re looking for an “official” definition of this word, but when I googled it I didn’t find any extensive dictionary definitions, just lots of common usage. Sometimes there isn’t any better way to understand a word’s meaning than to look at how it’s used. 品 is a common suffix that attaches easily to nouns and nominal adjectives. Is there a particular sphere of usage where you suspect this word might have a meaning other than the one I offered?
    – mamster
    Jan 30, 2018 at 15:43
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Two years later, looking back at my own question and the comment by @kuchitsu, I may have understood why I thought 正規品 means different from the given example.

comment: some info and examples: ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E6%AD%A3%E8%A6%8F%E5%93%81 – kuchitsu Jan 29 '18 at 18:24

As per referenced comment, 正規品 on Weblio hinted that the word does not simply mean 'genuine products' or 'real products' by default. Other translated meanings found in the list: correct parts, official products, box, retail.

[There] are many words that begin with 正規, which mostly translates to 'regular' or 'normal'. That has nothing to do with 'genuine'.

Such varying translations may suggest that some retail products--notably OEM (manufacturing)--can be considered as 正規品 in appropriate context. OEM products should be understood as "products that comply with certain specifications" rather than "products that have been made exclusively by the rightful owner".

That might explain why 正規品 is mostly translated as 'regular' or 'normal' rather than 'genuine' as noted in the question.

So what does 正規品 mean, really?

The included word 正規 might further explain why there are varied meanings as discovered above. From 正規 on Weblio, the word has mainly two branches of meaning: 正式の (regular, formal, proper) and 合法的な (legitimate, legal).

The given example of "Windows is not Genuine" was translated from the latter branch of meaning, which is 合法的な (legitimate, legal). Therefore 正規品 can be translated as "genuine product" in this context; however this should not be taken literally as the translation may vary by context.

Another word usage may be found in some product reviews. For example, a retail plastic model kit usually consists of molded parts surrounded by the frame that is known as "runner" (see Plastic model and プラモデル on Wikipedia). Such unassembled parts in the retail product can be referred as 正規品 also.

The later example of "runner" was translated from the former branch of meaning, which is 正式の (regular, formal, proper). Therefore 正規品 can be translated as "regular parts" in this context, which differs from and not really "genuine products" that otherwise understood in the previous example.

I am looking for an answer that can explain the meaning, as well as the usage of this word i.e. whether 正規品 is a technical term in some fields, abbreviation of a more complete term, or something else that I may have missed.

The given example is likely intended to show some research effort; however that might also have caused people to answer solely based on the given example and disregard the context, unfortunately.

Hence the two branches of meaning may give different meanings as above. If one must have a generic translation for that, then 正規品 may be translated as "standard products". That seems close enough to contain both meanings with given context.

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