Hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer or machine that you can actually touch, as opposed to the software (programs and instructions) that tell those parts what to do. The monitor you look at, the keyboard you type on, the mouse you click, and the processor chip inside that does the calculations, all of these are hardware. Think of it like your brain and body: software is like your thoughts and decisions, while hardware is like your hands, eyes, and muscles that carry out those decisions.

Computer hardware includes everything from the circuit boards and memory chips hidden inside the case to the external devices you plug in, like printers and speakers. When your computer runs slowly, it might need better hardware (a faster processor or more memory) or different software, or both. Tech companies are constantly improving hardware to make computers faster, smaller, and more powerful. The smartphone in someone's pocket has more computing hardware than the room-sized computers of the 1960s.

The word also means the tools and metal fixtures you'd find in a hardware store: nails, screws, hammers, hinges, locks, and doorknobs. If you're building a bookshelf, you need the right hardware to hold it together.