How to say "iron" in Japanese

• 鉄てつJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounCovers iron as a metal or chemical element — the hard, magnetic substance that rusts and is made into steel; the word you want whenever you mean the material itself.
  鉄てつは最もっとも有用ゆうような金属きんぞくです。↗

  Iron is the most useful metal.
• アイロンJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounRefers to the household appliance used to press and smooth clothes, not to the metal; the word for ironing shirts, or for realizing you left the iron on.
  アイロンで手てをやけどしました。↗

  I burned my hand with an iron.
• アイアンCommon
  nounA loanword; for the metal or the appliance it is seldom the word you want, turning up mainly in borrowed contexts such as brand names, products and golf clubs.
• 鉄分てつぶんCommon
  nounMeans iron as a nutrient or content — the iron in food, blood or the body; the word for dietary talk such as iron deficiency or iron-rich foods, not for the metal itself.
  グリーンピースは鉄分てつぶんが豊富ほうふで爪つめの色いろがよくなる成分せいぶんが含ふくまれている。↗

  Green peas are high in iron and contain nutrients that improve the colour of fingernails.

Use 鉄 for the metal or element, 「アイロン」 for the clothes-pressing appliance, 鉄分 for dietary iron content, and 「アイアン」 mainly as a loanword in specialized or brand contexts.

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

• 鉄てつiron (Fe)
• アイロンiron (for pressing clothes)
• アイアンiron
• 鉄分てつぶんiron (content)
• アイロンをかけるto iron