How to say "device" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 機器ききnounCovers 'device' as a physical piece of equipment or machinery. The word you want for electronic or mechanical devices — appliances, instruments, office machines — rather than for abstract senses of 'device'.
- nounThe katakana loanword, at home in technical fields such as computing, where it names hardware devices; for an ordinary machine, 機器 or 装置 is usually the more natural choice.
- 装置そうちnoun, suru verb, transitive verbA device in the sense of an apparatus or mechanism put together for a particular function, typically something built into or attached to a machine or system; it can also suggest a sizeable installation.
- 仕掛けしかけnounA contrivance or gadget — a clever, sometimes tricky mechanism built into something. Not the word for electronic or industrial equipment; for those, 機器 or 装置 is what you want.
- 考案こうあんnoun, suru verb, transitive verbHere 'device' is abstract: a plan, idea, or design — something devised in the mind rather than a physical object. Seldom the word you want for an actual machine; use 機器 or 装置 instead.
For physical equipment choose 機器 or 装置, with 「デバイス」 as the loanword heard most in technical fields; 「仕掛け」 is a built-in contrivance or gadget, and 考案 is an idea or plan, not a physical object.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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