How to say "vibration" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 振動しんどうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbVibration as steady, repeated back-and-forth movement — oscillation, like the swing of a pendulum. When you mean vibration as ongoing mechanical motion rather than a single shock or jolt, this is the word to use.
- 揺ゆりnounPoints to the shaking or swaying itself — a jolt, a tremor, a flickering — rather than vibration as a physical phenomenon; for that sense it is seldom the word you want.
- 震動しんどうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbA shock or tremor: shaking from an impact or an earthquake rather than steady back-and-forth oscillation. When the sense is shock, impact or tremor, this is the word; for oscillation, use 振動.
Choose 振動 for vibration as steady back-and-forth oscillation; 震動 for a shock or tremor from an impact; 揺 really names the shaking or swaying itself — jolting, flickering — and is seldom the word for 'vibration' proper.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
