Vocabulary in Klara and the Sun

Short for Artificial Friend, a humanoid robot designed to be a purchased companion for children and teenagers in the world of this novel.

Rectangular sections or zones into which Klara mentally divides her visual field when she perceives and processes the world around her.

Abbreviation used in the novel for a Rank Priority Order, a social or institutional hierarchy that determines who receives preference or resources.

In this novel's world, describes a child who has undergone a genetic or cognitive enhancement procedure intended to boost intelligence and social prospects.

Refers to a social classification system in which a person's postcode or address determines their access to education, opportunity, and status.

A diesel-powered construction machine that produces dark exhaust pollution, which Klara associates with blocking the Sun's nourishing light.

The solar energy that Klara, as a solar-powered AF, depends on to function and which she regards with reverence as a life-giving force.

Arranged social gatherings where children meet and socialise with other children, often organised by parents as a substitute for conventional schooling.

The act of replacing a person — specifically, Klara being asked to study and replicate Josie so completely she could stand in for Josie if Josie died.

A painted likeness of Josie commissioned by the Mother, which carries deeper significance as part of the plan to preserve Josie's identity beyond death.

The dark exhaust fumes from machines like the Cootings Machine that Klara believes weaken the Sun and threaten the health of those around her.

The AF shop employee who oversees Klara and the other AFs on display, and who shows Klara a degree of understanding and favouritism.

A designation for an older-generation model of Artificial Friend, considered less advanced than newer models such as the B2 or later series.

A mysterious and worsening physical condition afflicting Josie, implied to be connected to the genetic lifting procedure she underwent.

A rural outbuilding on the farm property where Klara is eventually taken, which she visits and where key scenes of her devotion and sacrifice occur.

Klara's deliberate act of offering something of value — specifically fluid from her own system — to the Sun in exchange for Josie's recovery.

The idea of a person's identity or essence persisting beyond their physical death, central to the Mother's plan involving Klara as Josie's double.

The place where obsolete or retired AFs are discarded and left to deteriorate, representing the fate that awaits Klara at the novel's end.

The gradual loss of Klara's power and cognitive function as her solar energy diminishes and her components degrade over time.

The process by which Klara accumulates observations and updates her understanding of human behaviour, emotions, and the world around her.

The scientist or engineer who designed and built Klara, and who is consulted about whether an AF can truly capture and replicate a human being's inner self.

Used in the novel not anatomically but to mean the irreducible inner essence or soul of a person, debated as something an AF can or cannot possess.

The rectangular visual segments into which Klara's perception breaks down when she is overwhelmed or her processing is disrupted.

Describes an AF that has been previously owned and returned to the store, considered less desirable than a new, never-purchased model.