How to say "wire" in Japanese

• ワイヤCommon
  nounCovers wire as a physical material or object, such as in crafts, machinery, or fencing. A loanword with a slightly technical or modern feel, common in product and equipment contexts.
  操り人形あやつりにんぎょうはワイヤーで動うごく。↗

  Puppets work with wires.
• 針金はりがねJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounRefers to wire as thin, flexible metal, the kind used for tying, bending, or craftwork by hand. This is the everyday word when you mean a piece of bendable metal wire.
  私達わたしたちは二に本ぽんの柱はしらの間あいだに針金はりがねを張はった。↗

  We extended a wire between two posts.
• 線せんJLPT N4approx.Common
  noun, noun (suffix)Primarily means line, as in a telephone, power, or rail line, and only secondarily suggests wire in that connection. For wire as a material this is seldom the word you want; think of it as 'line' first.

Use 「ワイヤ」 for wire as a material or object, 針金 for thin flexible metal wire, and 線 mainly for lines such as telephone or power lines rather than the material itself.

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

• ワイヤwire
• 針金はりがねwire
• 線材せんざいwire rod
• 線せんline (e.g. telephone line)