How to Say "Gremlin" in Japanese

グレムリン

The Japanese word for gremlin is グレムリン.

グレムリン refers to the imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined to damage or dismantle machinery.

Meaning: imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined to damage or dismantle machinery (noun)

Did you know?

While グレムリン describes a creature that breaks machines, Japanese speakers might use the word 付喪神 (tsukumogami) to describe a tool or object that has developed a soul and spirit after 100 years.
In Japanese pop culture, the term is often associated more with the specific 1984 film than with the folklore of mechanical failure found in English-speaking countries.
Because グレムリン is a loanword, it is sometimes used in Japanese tech circles as a playful way to describe a 'bug' in software that seems to have a mind of its own.

グレムリンが私のコンピュータを壊しました！
The gremlin broke my computer!
グレムリンが機械を壊したのかもしれない。
Guremurin ga kikai o kowashita no kamoshirenai.
A gremlin might have broken the machine.
グレムリンの仕業だと思う。
Guremurin no shiwaza da to omou.
I think it's the work of a gremlin.

Two mechanics are looking at a broken engine in a garage.

陽葵 Himari

急に動かなくなったよ。
Kyuu ni ugokanaku natta yo.
It suddenly stopped working.
健太 Kenta

グレムリンがいたのかな？
Guremurin ga ita no kana?
Was there a gremlin in there?
陽葵 Himari

健太くん、冗談はやめてよ。
Kenta-kun, joudan wa yamete yo.
Kenta, stop joking around.
健太 Kenta

でも、原因がわからないんだ。
Demo, gen'in ga wakaranai nda.
But, I don't know the cause.