How to say "petroleum" in Japanese

• オイルJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounThe general loanword for oil of many kinds, from cooking to engines; it can stand for petroleum in everyday talk, though 石油 is the specific term for the substance itself.
  新あたらしいオイル・タンカーが進水しんすいした。↗

  A new oil tanker was launched.
• 石油せきゆJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounThe word for petroleum proper: mineral oil as a natural resource and the industry built on it. When English 'petroleum' means crude oil, this is the word to reach for.
  この国くにには石油せきゆが乏とぼしい。↗

  Oil is scarce in this country.
• 揮発油きはつゆCommon
  nounDespite the gloss 'petroleum', this word really means gasoline or petrol — the light refined fuel — and is seldom the word you want for petroleum itself; 石油 covers that sense.

Use 石油 for petroleum itself as a mineral resource; 「オイル」 is a broader loanword for oil of many kinds, and 揮発油 really means gasoline or petrol, covering petroleum only marginally.

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

• オイルoil
• 石油せきゆoil
• 揮発油きはつゆgasoline
• ペトロリアムpetroleum