器具|きぐkigu[1]atamadaka (head-high)

JLPT N2approx.Common
Definitions
  1. nounutensil; implement; tool; instrument; appliance; apparatus
    これは主婦しゅふの手間てまを省はぶく便利べんりな器具きぐです。↗
    This is a great time-saving gadget for the housewife.
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym道具どうぐNeutralThe most common everyday word for tools and utensils of all kinds, as in 「掃除道具」 and 「大工道具」; 「器具」 leans toward simple devices and vessels like 「ガス器具」.
  • SynonymツールNeutralA loanword for tools or means, now often for software and methods, as in 「分析ツール」; physical simple devices are usually called 「器具」.
  • Synonym用具ようぐNeutralRefers to items for a specific purpose, as in 「筆記用具」 and 「運動用具」; single items count too, while 「器具」 suggests devices with some structure.
  • Synonym工具こうぐNeutralTools for assembling, disassembling or processing, such as wrenches; leans industrial and technical, while 「器具」 is broader, covering vessels and simple devices.
  • Related機械きかいNeutralMachines built from power, transmission and other mechanisms, as in 「工作機械」; more complex than 「器具」 and usually powered.
  • Related装置そうちNeutralA device or mechanism combining machines and instruments to serve a specific function, as in 「安全装置」; stresses the assembled mechanism, while 「器具」 is a single item.
  • Related機器ききNeutralAn umbrella term for machinery and instruments of all kinds, as in 「電子機器」 and 「医療機器」; more general than 「器具」 and typically collective.
  • Related具ぐNeutralOn its own usually means ingredients in soup, rice or noodles, as in 「味噌汁の具」, and is common in daily speech; the tool/means sense appears mostly in written 「〜の具」.

Use 「器具」 for simple devices and vessels, as in 「ガス器具」. For everyday tools say 「道具」, for purpose-specific gear 「用具」, for complex machines 「機械」, and for equipment as a whole 「機器」.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 道具どうぐやうつわ。
  2. 簡単かんたんな器械きかい。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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