Learn in the textbookTypes of Standards and Code Systems
DefinitionA barcode (バーコード) is an identification mark that encodes numbers and other characters as a row of bars and spaces of varying width, read by a scanner that shines light on it.
ExplanationBecause the bars run in only one horizontal direction, a barcode holds no more than a few dozen digits or letters. It is faster than typing by hand and less prone to keying errors, so it is used widely in logistics and in POS (point-of-sale) systems that record each item at the checkout as it is sold.
AnalogyIt is like Morse code, which spells letters with long and short sounds, redrawn on paper as thick and thin lines.
Memory hookA bar is a stick or rod in English, so a barcode is literally a code made of rods in a row.