ヘッドホン
heddohon[he̞d̚d̥o̞hõ̞ɴ]alternative form
The English word "headphones" is translated into Japanese as ヘッドホン (heddohon). Wiktionary also lists ヘッドフォン (heddofon).
Meaning: pair of speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ヘッドホン | heddohon | [he̞d̚d̥o̞hõ̞ɴ] (narrow) | alternative form |
| ヘッドフォン | heddofon |
ヘッドホン refers to a pair of speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound. While ヘッドホン refers to over-ear headphones, イヤホン is the standard term used for small in-ear earphones or earbuds.
Which one should you use?
ヘッドホン and ヘッドフォン are alternative spellings of the same word.
How do you pronounce it?
heddohon
Did you know?
- In Japanese pop culture and music discussions, the term ヘッドホン・リスニング (heddohon risuningu) is used to describe the specific act of listening to music via headphones rather than through speakers.
- Even though 'headphones' refers to two speakers, the Japanese term ヘッドホン is treated as a singular noun in many grammatical contexts. This differs from the English tendency to treat 'headphones' as a plural noun like 'pants'.
- Because ヘッドホン is a loanword, it is written using the Katakana script, which is specifically used for foreign-derived words. This makes the word look visually distinct from native Japanese words in any text.
Examples in context
- ヘッドホン直しといたよ。I fixed your headphones.This sentence is useful for showing how to express that you have fixed someone's ヘッドホン.Tatoeba #13028950 by small_snow, translation #10759033 by ddnktr
- このヘッドホン壊れてるんだ。These headphones don't work.This sentence is useful for expressing that your ヘッドホン are broken.Tatoeba #9034883 by small_snow, translation #3457084 by AlanF_US
- そのヘッドフォンをすると、耳が痛くなる。Those headphones make my ears hurt.This sentence is useful for describing how wearing ヘッドフォン can cause ear pain.Tatoeba #12143098 by small_snow, translation #10759040 by ddnktr
- 今日、新しいヘッドフォンを買いました。I bought new headphones today.
- これらのヘッドホンは音質が優れています。These headphones have excellent sound quality.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are at a cafe and Misaki realizes she forgot something.
- 美咲 Misakiあ、ヘッドホンを忘れた！A, heddohon o wasureta!Ah, I forgot my headphones!
- 蓮 Ren僕のヘッドホンを貸そうか？Boku no heddohon o kasou ka?Shall I lend you my headphones?
- 美咲 Misaki本当に？助かるよ、蓮君。Hontou ni? Tasukaru yo, Ren-kun.Really? That helps a lot, Ren.
- 蓮 Ren全然大丈夫だよ。Zenzen daijoubu da yo.It's no problem at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “headphones” translations and entries ヘッドホン, ヘッドフォン, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
