青銅
seidō[se̞ːdo̞ː]
The English word "bronze" is 青銅 (seidō) in Japanese.
青銅 refers to the metal alloy itself. When you want to describe things as being bronze in color, you can use 青銅色の or the loanword ブロンズ色の. If you want to say something is made of bronze, you can use 青銅製の or ブロンズ製の.
Meaning: alloy (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 青銅 is composed of 青, meaning blue or green and 銅, meaning copper.
Which one should you use?
青銅 is the formal or technical term for the alloy. In more casual or modern contexts, the katakana loanword ブロンズ is often used to refer to the metal or the color.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
seidō
Did you know?
- In traditional Japanese aesthetics, the 'green' of aged bronze is valued for its 'wabi-sabi' quality, emphasizing the beauty of imperfection and aging.
- Ancient Japanese bronze bells, known as 銅鐸, were used as ritual objects and often featured carvings of people and animals rather than being used as musical instruments.
- The character 青 in 青銅 can mean 'blue' or 'green', which refers to the green patina that forms on bronze as it oxidizes over time.
Examples in context
- 5円玉は黄銅、10円玉は青銅でできている。The 5 yen coin is made from brass and the 10 yen coin is made from bronze.This sentence is useful for distinguishing between the materials of different coins using 青銅.Tatoeba #2698372 by tommy_san, translation #2698591 by WestofEden
- 青銅器は主として銅と錫の合金で出来ている。Bronze-ware is largely made from alloys of brass and tin.This sentence explains what bronze-ware is made of using 青銅.Tatoeba #74930 by fcbond, translation #328789 by fcbond
- この像は青銅で作られています。Kono zou wa seidou de tsukurarete imasu.This statue is made of bronze.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are looking at an old bell in a museum.
- 陽太 Yotaこの鐘は何の素材かな？Kono kane wa nan no sozai kana?I wonder what material this bell is made of?
- 美咲 Misaki説明に青銅と書いてあるよ。Setsumei ni seidō to kaite aru yo.The description says it's bronze.
- 陽太 Yota青銅はとても丈夫なんだね。Seidō wa totemo jōbu nanda ne.Bronze is very durable, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misakiそうだね、だから長く残っているんだよ。Sō da ne, dakara nagaku nokotte iru n da yo.That's true, that's why it has lasted so long.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bronze” translations and entries 青銅, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
