How to say "signal" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 信号しんごうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbThe default word for signals such as traffic lights, railway signals, and electronic or transmitted signals. Use this for most technical senses of 'signal', including a signal a device sends or receives.
- nounA loanword covering the same 'signal' sense. It often appears in technical, scientific, or specialized contexts, especially where the English term itself would be used; in everyday situations 信号 is usually the natural choice.
- 電波でんぱnounCovers 'signal' in the everyday sense of phone or radio reception, as in a weak or lost signal. Strictly it means radio waves, so for traffic lights or electronic signals you need a different word.
- 合図あいずnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbUsed for a sign or cue given by a person, such as a wave of the hand or a nod. When 'signal' refers to human communication by gesture or agreed sign, this is the word to reach for.
- 通信つうしんnoun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbReally means correspondence, communication, or transmission rather than 'signal' itself. It is seldom the word you want for this English sense, though it appears in contexts involving the sending of information.
Use 信号 for lights and electronic signals, 電波 for phone or radio reception, 合図 for a gesture or cue between people, and 「シグナル」 as a loanword; 通信 means communication rather than signal.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
