How to say "equipment" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 装備そうびJLPT N1approx.Common
    noun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers equipment in the sense of gear that someone wears, carries, or is outfitted with, such as a soldier's or climber's equipment. It emphasizes being equipped for a purpose rather than installed machinery.
    その船ふねにはレーダーが装備そうびされていた。↗
    The boat was equipped with radar.
  • 装置そうちJLPT N3approx.Common
    noun, suru verb, transitive verbRefers to equipment as a device or apparatus — a mechanical or technical unit that performs a function. Use it when 'equipment' could naturally be replaced by 'device' or 'apparatus'.
    This heating system burns oil.
  • 設備せつびJLPT N3approx.Common
    noun, suru verb, transitive verbCovers equipment in the sense of facilities and installations fixed in a building or site, such as a factory's or hotel's equipment. It suggests infrastructure rather than individual items.
    諸しょ設備せつびの費用ひようは払はらっていただきます。↗
    You have to pay for utilities.
  • 機器ききCommon
    nounRefers to equipment as machinery, instruments, or devices, typically technical or electronic machines as a class of items. It suits contexts like office, medical, or industrial machinery.
    A display, aka monitor, is an appliance that displays video signal of still images and moving pictures produced by a computer or similar device.
  • 備品びひんCommon
    nounCovers equipment in the sense of fixtures, furnishings, and fittings provided at an office or institution — the assorted supplied items. For general 'equipment' it is often not the word you want.
    研究所けんきゅうしょ用よう備品びひんは3月がつ15日かまでに間違まちがいなく配達はいたつできます。↗
    I'm certain we can deliver the laboratory equipment by March 15th.

Choose 装備 for gear worn or carried, 装置 for a device or apparatus, 設備 for facilities installed in a building, 機器 for machines and instruments, and 備品 for fixtures and furnishings supplied at a workplace.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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