How to say "converter" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe common, default word for a converter as a device that turns one thing into another. When English 'converter' refers to equipment in general, this katakana loanword is usually what you want.
- 転炉てんろnounA less common term, restricted to the refining sense: the vessel, as in steelmaking, in which molten metal is refined. Not a general word for converter; it can also mean a rotary kiln.
- 変換器へんかんきnounA converter as a device that changes something into another form; literally a 'conversion device'. Less common than コンバーター, it tends to appear in technical descriptions of equipment.
For a converter as a device, the common loanword 「コンバーター」 is the default, with 変換器 a less common kanji-based alternative; 転炉 is only for the refining vessel of metallurgy, not converters in general.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
