This is a weekly reading session of the math and CS book club approaching basic topics in computer science. In the upcoming sessions we will read Conpyûta no himitsu from Gakkens Manga de wakaru series.
About the book
“One day, classmate Takumi moves in into the same apartment house Masaki lives in. Among his belongings he has a PC and a couple of other computer devises. Although he is good in arithmetic he isn’t very close with his friends and it seems he likes to spend more time with his computer. When he turns some of Masakis illustrations into some CG models, suddenly a robotic dog from inside the computer comes to life.”
Table of Contents (Spoiler)
A very brief summary of the covered topics. My translations might be a little bit liberate though. Feel free to point out alternatives or corrections 
Prologue - There are a lot of computers around him!
Chapter 1 - What’s a Computer?
- History of computers
- Types of Computers
- “Wapro” - A computer to make documents
Chapter 2 - Computer Architecture
- “Under the hood” (Inner parts of a computer)
- The binary system
- Until a notebook is built
Chapter 3 - Networking Computers
- Usage of the internet
- Robots and computers
- What’s a smart city?
- Danger that occur with/in the internet and counter measures
Chapter 4 - Computer with great importance
- “K” - A super computer
- Upcoming super computers
Chapter 5 - Computer to aid in everyday life
- Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope
- Digital school education
- Computer aided societies
Epiloque - Envisioning Computers
- Ikeda Toshio
- What is HCIS? (Health Care Information Systems)
Read the manga online here:
Schedule
| Dates | Sections |
|---|---|
| April 07th - April 14th | Dear reader… , ToC, Prologue |
| April 14th - April 21st | Chapter 1 |
| April 21st - April 28th | Chapter 2 |
| April 28th - May 05th | Chapter 3 |
| May 05th - May 12th | Chapter 4 |
| May 12th - May 19th | Chapter 5 |
| May 19th - May 26th | Epilogue |
Currently reading ^?
Vocab items and Grammar points
Items marked with some 
are CS (or math) related.
Dear reader...
読者 (Wanikani, Lvl 20)
疑問 (Wanikani, Lvl 13)
説明 (Wanikani, Lvl 17)
写真(Wanikani, Lvl 16)
図 (Wanikani Lvl 5)
解説 (Wanikani, Lvl 21)
記事 (Wanikani, Lvl 9)
される → する
豆知識 (mame chishiki)
取材 (Wanikani, Lvl 16)
資料 (Wanikani, Lvl 21)
提供 (Wanikani Lvl 32)
富士通 
株式会社
協力 (Wanikani, Lvl 14)
こと ( Nominalization)
～ている ( Continuous / progressive actions, habits)
~や~など (incomplete enumeration)
Table of Contents
歴史 (Wanikani, Lvl 19)
種類 (Wanikani, Lvl 18)
文書
本体
内部
二進法
利用
危険 (Wanikani, Lvl 16)
対策 (Wanikani, Lvl 24)
活躍 (Wanikani, Lvl 39)
望遠鏡
学校教育 (Wanikani, Lvl 7, 11)
社会 (Wanikani, Lvl 7)
夢 (Wanikani, Lvl 20)
開発 (Wanikani, Lvl 10)
池田敏雄 → Ikeda Toshio
Prologue
空間(Wanikani, Lvl 8) → space, e.g. ベクトル空間
History of Computers (Chapter 1)
世紀半ば (Wanikani, Lvl 3 & 15)
登場 → entrance; introduction (into a market)
急速
進歩する
同時に (Wanikani, Lvl 7)
手軽に
年代
本格的
自動計算機 (Wanikani Lvl 14, 15 & 20)
開発する (Wanikani, Lvl 10)
真空管 → vacuum tube
現在 (Wanikani, Lvl 23)
通商産業省, 経済産業省 → MITI
リレー
富士写真フイルム, 富士フイルム
東京大学
東京芝浦電気, 東芝
完成する (Wanikani, Lvl 14)
創業者 → founder
販売する (Wanikani, Lvl 24)
漢字処理機能(Wanikani, Lvl 10 & 28) → function, feature
利用する
身近
一方で
大型
高機能
JAXA
携帯用 (?) → portable
任天堂株式会社
Types of Computers (Chapter 1)
性能
種類 (Wanikani, Lvl 18)
持ち運ぶ → to carry; to bring (to a place)
作成
表計算 → spreadsheet
画像の処理 / 画像処理 → image processing
送受信 → transceiver (send and receive)
印刷物 → printed matter
レイアウト → layout
工業製品 → industrial goods
大量 → mass (e.g. mass production)
事務処理 → paperwork
設計 layout, design
企業 → enterprise
大規模 → large-scale
大型 → 大形
汎用 → generic
旅客機
座席予約(WK)
利用者 → end user, customer
端末 → terminal
操作する
科学技術
宇宙 (Wanikani, Lvl 19)
気象 → climate
自動車 (Wanikani, Lvl 16)
航空機 → aircraft
高層ビル → skycraper
分野
"WaPro" - A computer to make documents (Chapter 1)
編集 (Wanikani, Lvl 31)
機械 (Wanikani, Lvl 20)
変換する へんかん (Wanikani, Lvl 36)
ワープロ専用機 → similar to an electronic typewriter → can work with kana input
処理装置 → processing unit
Inner parts of a computer (Chapter 2)
本体 → body (of a machine); substance; real form
内部 → interior; inside; internal
おさめる (理める ??) → to be arranged well; to be organized cleverly (?); おさめる → to contain (?)
FAN:
DVD:
-
書き込む (かきこむ) → to write (data); to flash
HDD:
Motherboard:
-
電子回路基板 (でんしかいろきばん)
** 電子回路 → electronic circuit
** 基板 → substrate; (computer) circuit board
CPU:
- 頭脳 (ずのう) → head; brains
The binary system (Chapter 2)
| term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| 信号 | しんごう | signal | Chapter 2 - Binary system | (Wanikani: traffic signal, lvl 15) |
| 命令 | めいれい | (software) instruction; statement | Chapter 2 - Binary system | (Wanikani: order, lvl 11) |
| 十進法 | じっしんほう | decimal system | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| けた :sparles: | けた | digit | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 普段 | ふだん | usually | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 表し方 | あらわしかた | way of representing | Chapter 2 - Binary system | (Wanikani: 表す, to express, lvl 9) |
| 増える | ふえる | to increase | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 位 | くらい | digit; (decimal) place | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 指令を出す | しれいをだす | to submit instructions / commands | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 電圧が高い | でんあつがたかい | high voltage | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 電圧が低い | でんあつがひくい | low voltage | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
| 組み合わせ | くみあわせ | combination | Chapter 2 - Binary system | |
Until a notebook is built (Chapter 2)
| term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 工場 | こうじょう | factory | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | (Wanikani, lvl 8) |
| 効率的 | こうりつてき | efficient | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
|
プリント基板
|
プリントきばん | Printed circuit board | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 部品 | ぶひん | components | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 集積回路 | しゅうせきかいろ | Integrated circuit | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| はんだ付け | はんだづけする | to solder | Chapter 2 - The way unit notebooks | |
| 管理 | かんり | control | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 様子 | ようす | appearance; look | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 熱 | ねつ | heat | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | (Wanikani, lvl 13) |
| 組み立てる | くみたてる | to assemble; to set up | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 作業 | さぎょう | work | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | (Wanikani, lvl 10) |
| 工夫する | くふうする | inventing | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 分担する | ぶんたんする | dividing (work) between | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 素早く | すばやく | quick; swift | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 厳しく | さびしく | strict; rigid | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | |
| 検査 | けんさ | inspection; examination | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | (Wanikani, lvl 21) |
| 不足 | ふそく | deficit, insufficiency | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | (Wanikani, lvl 4) |
|
分解
|
ぶんかい | [1] disassembly; dismantling [2] math: factorization [3] CS: deblocking | Chapter 2 - Until a notebook is built | in this context [1]; (Wanikani analysis, lvl 21) |
Usage of the internet (Chapter 3)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| | 繋ぐ | つなぐ | to connect; to link together | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | やり取り | やりとり | (conversational) exchange | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 同士 | どうし | fellow; mutual; companion | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 通信 | つうしん | correspondence; communication; transmission | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 網の目 | あみのめ | mesh (of a net) | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 張り巡らす | はりめぐらす | to lay out (e.g. a wiring system, network, etc.) | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | プロバイダ → インターネットサービスプロバイダー | プロバイダ | provider (here: ISP) | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 回線 | かいせん | circuit; line | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 通じる | つうじる | to communicate (with) | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 役割 | やくわり | role; part; assigning (allotment of) parts | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | Wanikani, lvl 23 |
| | 事業者 | じぎょうしゃ | operator | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 接続 | せつぞく | connection | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 受け取る | うけとる | to receive | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 発信 | はっしん | transmission | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | ツイッター | ツイッター | Twitter | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 検索 | けんさく | lookup; internet search | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | Wanikani, lvl 29 |
| | 支払い |しはらい | payment | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | Wanikani, lvl 37 |
| | 宅配便 | たくはいびん | express home delivery service | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 鉄道 | てつどう | rail transport | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 飛行機 | ひこうき | airplane | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | Wanikani, lvl 20 |
| | 空席 | くうせき | vacancy | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | Wanikani (Open Seat), 17 |
| | SNS | エスエンエス | SNS | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
| | 短時間 | たんじかん | short time | Chapter 3 - Usage of the internet | |
Robots and computers (Chapter 3)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| | 救助 | きゅうじょ | rescue | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
| | 災害 | さいがい | natural disaster | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | Wanikani, lvl 20 |
| | がれき | がれき | debris; wreckage | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
| | 取り除く | とりのぞく | to remove | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
| | 溶接 | ようせつ | welding | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
| | 吸い取る | すいとる | to suck up; to absorb | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
| | 判断 | はんだん | judgement; decision; conclusion | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | Wanikani, lvl 21 |
| | アクチュエーター | アクチュエーター | actuator; access mechanism | Chapter 3 - Robots and computers | |
What's a smart city? (Chapter 3)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| | 組み合わせる | くみあわせる | to join together; to combine | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 環境 | かんきょう | environment | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, lvl 24 |
| | 守る | まもる | to protect | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, lvl 16 |
| | 効率 | こうりつ | efficiency | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, lvl 25 |
| | 街づくり | まちづくり | town planning; urban development | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 使用量 | しようりょう | used quantity; amount used | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 発電量 | はつでんりょう | capacity to produce energy | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 太陽光発電 | たいようこうはつでん | solar power (generation), Photovoltaics | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 住宅 | じゅうたく | dwelling, residential building | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, lvl 23 |
| | 防災 | ぼうさい | disaster protection | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, level 20 |
| | 設備 | せつび | facilities; installation | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | バイオマス発電 | バイオマスはつでん | biomass power (generation) | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 水力発電 | すいりょくはつでん | water-power generation, Hydroelectricity | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 風力発電 | ふうりょくはつでん | wind power generation | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 地域 | ちいき | area; region | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | Wanikani, lvl 22 |
| | 再生可能エネルギー | さいせいかのうエネルギー | renewable energy | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | 火力発電 | かりょくはつでん | Fossil-fuel power / thermal power generation | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | うまく | うまく | successfully; smoothly | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
| | めざす | めざす | to aim at; to have an eye on | Chapter 3 - What’s a smart city? | |
Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures (Chapter 3)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 迷惑メール | めいわくメール | spam; unsolicited email | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| 強引 | ごういん | overbearing; coercive; pushy; forcible; high-handed | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| 一方的 | いっぽうてき | one-sided; unilateral; arbitrary | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| うっかり | うっかり | carelessly; thoughtlessly; inadvertently | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | Onomatopoeic or mimetic word |
|| コンピュータウイルス | コンピュータウイルス | computer virus | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| 開く | ひらく | to open; to unpack | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | Wanikani focuses on あく, lvl 12 |
|| 感染 | かんせん | infection | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| 犯罪 | はんざい | crime | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | Wanikani, lvl 20 |
|| 高額 | こうがく | large sum (money) | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | |
|| 料金 | りょうきん | fee | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | Wanikani, lvl 13 |
|| 相談 | そうだん | discussion | Chapter 3 - Dangers arising with the internet and counter measures | Wanikani, lvl 9 |
Supercomputer "K" (Chapter 4)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 分野 | ぶんや | field; division | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 期待 | きたい | expectation; anticipation | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, lvl 12 |
|| 速度 | そくど | velocity | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani (Speed), level 10 |
|| 結ぶ | むすぶ | to tie; to bind; to link | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 膨大 | ぼうだい | huge; vast; enormous; extensive | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 52 |
|| 活用 | かつよう | practical use; application | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani (Conjugation), level 6 |
|| 物質 | ぶっしつ | substance | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 訳 | わけ | conclusion from reasoning; here: ~from trying on human body | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 32 |
|| 設計 | せっけい | plan; design; layout | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 衝突 | しょうとつ | collision; crash | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 40 |
|| だが | だが | → ですが | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 予測 | よそく | prediction; estimation | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, lvl 35 |
|| 状態 | じょうたい | state; condition | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 22 |
|| 条件 | じょうけん | condition; term | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 21 |
|| 生かす | いかす | to leverage | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | |
|| 確認 | かくにん | confirmation; verification | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 21 |
|| 観測 | かんそく | observation; measurement | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 35 |
|| 現象 | げんしょう | phenomenon | Chapter 4 - Supercomputer “K” | Wanikani, level 24 |
Computers that support the "Subaru" telescope (Chapter 5)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 反射鏡 | はんしゃきょう | reflector | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| 直径 | ちょっけい | diameter | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| アイソン彗星 | アイソンすいせい | comet | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| 銀河 | ぎんが | galaxy | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| 大容量 | だいようりょう | high capacity | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| 反映 | はんえい | reflection; application | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
|| 保管 | ほかん | safekeeping; deposit; storage | Chapter 5 - Computers that support the “Subaru” telescope | |
A school education that uses computers (Chapter 5)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 移動 | いどう | mobile; transfer | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
|| かえる | かえる | to replace; to substitute | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
|| 課外授業 | かがいじゅぎょう | extracurricular lesson | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
|| 撮影 | さつえい | photography (still or motion); (video) recording | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
|| 意見交換 | いけんこうかん | exchange of ideas; exchange of opinions; brainstorming | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
|| 比較 | ひかく | comparison | Chapter 5 - A school education that uses computers | |
A society supported by computers (Chapter 5)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 改札 | かいさつ | examination of tickets; ticket barrier; Paid area | Chapter 5 - A society supported by computers | |
|| 電気製品 | でんきせいひん | electronic goods | Chapter 5 - A society supported by computers | |
|| 引き落とす | ひきおとす | to automatically debit (from a bank account) | Chapter 5 - A society supported by computers | |
|| 渋滞情報 | じゅうたいじょうほう | Traffic congestion information | Chapter 5 - A society supported by computers | |
Ikeda Toshio (Epilogue)
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
|| 発展 | はってん | development; growth | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
|| 繋がる | つながる | to be linked to; to be related to | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | Usually written using kana |
|| 寝る間も惜しんで | ねるまもおしんで | without sparing time for sleep | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | fixed expression |
|| 取り組む | とりくむ | to tackle (e.g. a problem); to work hard on | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
|| 発想 | はっそう | idea; approach | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
|| 独創性 | どくそうせい | creativity; ingenuity | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
|| 当時 | とうじ | at that time; in those days | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
|| 製造 | せいぞう | manufacture; production | Epilogue - Ikeda Toshio | |
Bonus Lesson
| | term (original) | term (kana) | suggested translation | occurrence | comments |
| – | ------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- | --------- | -------- |
| |量子コンピュータ | りょうしコンピュータ | Quantum Computer | Bonus | |
| |最先端 | さいせんたん | state of the art | Bonus | |
| |超優秀 | ちょうゆうしゅう | brilliant; outstanding | Bonus | |
| |飼い主 | かいぬし | pet owner | Bonus | |
| | 物質 | ぶっしつ | materia | Bonus | |
| | 構成する | こうせいする | to compose | Bonus | |
| |総称 | そうしょう | general term | Bonus | |
| |原子核 | げんしかく | atomic nucleus | Bonus | |
| |半導体 | はんどうたい | solid-state | Bonus | |
| |極限 | きょくげん | limit | Bonus | |
| |重ね合わせ | かさねあわせ | superposition | Bonus | |
| |縺れ | もつれ | entanglement | Bonus | |
| |動作原理 | どうさげんり | operating principles | Bonus | |
| |実用化 | じつようか | implementing | Bonus | |
| |仮想通貨 | かそうつうか | virtual currency; cryptocurrency | Bonus | |
| |膨大な | ぼうだいな | extensive | Bonus | |
| | 巨額 | きょがく | huge sum (esp. of money) | Bonus | |
| |研究段階 | けんきゅう | Research; Studies | Bonus | |
)
But yeah, it’s sufficiently different that you can tell them apart. Thanks for doing the research, by the way! 
