電気
denki[dẽ̞ŋʲkʲi]
The English word 'electricity' is translated into Japanese as 電気 (denki).
電気 refers to electrical power. In daily Japanese, it is frequently used to mean 'the lights' in a room. For example, the phrases 電気をつける (to turn on the light/electricity) and 電気を消す (to turn off the light/electricity) are the standard ways to talk about controlling the lights.
Meaning: electrical power (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the kanji for 'electricity/lightning' (電) and 'spirit/energy/air' (気).
Which one should you use?
While 電気 is the common term, 電力 is a formal term used to specifically refer to electric power or electrical energy.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can create the word for electricity bills or electricity costs by adding the kanji 代, meaning 'cost' or 'fee', to the word, resulting in 電気代.
How do you pronounce it?
denki
Did you know?
- The kanji 電 is shared with the word for 'train' (電車), because early trains were defined by their use of electric power.
- The character 気 in 電気 can also mean 'spirit' or 'mood', suggesting electricity is seen as a form of invisible energy or life force.
- The word 電気 entered the Japanese language as a loanword from Chinese around the 1850s.
Examples in context
- 電気代が上がった。Electricity prices went up.This sentence is useful for discussing electricity prices with 電気.Tatoeba #11495309 by small_snow, translation #10729343 by sundown
- 電気代が下がった。Electricity prices went down.Tatoeba #11878745 by small_snow, translation #10729325 by ddnktr
- 電気が消してありました。The electricity was turned off.This sentence is useful for describing the state of the lights with 電気.Tatoeba #10901550 by bunbuku, translation #11085501 by xorgy
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are at home during a power outage.
- 結衣 Yuiあ、電気が消えた！A, denki ga kieta!Oh, the electricity went out!
- 健太 Kenta本当だ。停電かな？Hontō da. Teiden kana?You're right. I wonder if it's a blackout.
- 結衣 Yui健太、電気を点けてくれる？Kenta, denki o tsukete kureru?Kenta, can you turn on the light?
- 健太 Kenta電気が止まっているから無理だよ。Denki ga tomatte iru kara muri da yo.I can't because the electricity has stopped.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 電気, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 電気, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
