How to say "shell" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe katakana loanword, used much as in English; in computing it is the term for an operating-system shell, while the shells of eggs and nuts normally take the native 殻.
- 殻からnounThe general native word for a hard outer covering: an eggshell, a nutshell, or a husk, hull or pod. For most everyday senses of 'shell' this is the word you want.
- 砲弾ほうだんnounThe military sense: a shell fired from a large gun, or a cannonball. Use it for artillery and warfare; it has nothing to do with eggshells or seashells.
- 甲羅こうらnounThe shell of an animal such as a crab or tortoise — the carapace. When you mean the hard shell covering a tortoise's or crab's body, this is the specific word.
- 甲こうnounMeaning carapace or shell, but it mostly appears as an element within other words rather than standing alone; on its own it is seldom the word you want — use 殻 or 甲羅.
Use 殻 for ordinary hard outer coverings such as eggs and nuts, 甲羅 for the shells of crabs and tortoises, 砲弾 for military shells, 「シェル」 in technical contexts such as computing, and 甲 mainly within compounds.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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