How to say "regulator" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe katakana borrowing, for mechanical or electronic devices that hold something such as pressure or voltage at a set level; a natural choice when 'regulator' names a piece of equipment.
- nounA clipping of レギュレーター pointing to the same device; it is recognizable shorthand, but in careful writing the full form is the clearer choice.
- 調節器ちょうせつきnounThe general term for a device that adjusts something and keeps it at a desired level; it also serves for 'adjuster' and 'controller', so it is a dependable default for physical equipment.
- 制御器せいぎょきnounClosest to 'controller': use it when 'regulator' means equipment that governs a machine or process—the technical control sense—rather than a device for simple adjustment.
- 調整剤ちょうせいざいnounNot a device but a substance: this renders 'regulator' only in the chemical sense of an agent added to adjust or condition something, so for machinery it is not the word you want.
For equipment, choose between the loanword 「レギュレーター」 and the kanji word 調節器, with 制御器 for the technical control sense; 調整剤 is only for a chemical agent, and 「レギュ」 is just its shortened form.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
