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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "ball-point pen" in Japanese?
ボールペン
bōrupen
In Japanese, "ball-point pen" is ボールペン (bōrupen).
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Pronunciation
ボールペン is written using katakana. Romanised as bōrupen, it sounds roughly like "boh-roo-peh-n" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Borupen shortens the English ball-point pen into katakana. This loanword became standard vocabulary in offices across Japan.
Example sentence
そのボールペンはとても便利です。
Sono Bōrupen wa totemo benri desu.
That ball-point pen is very useful.
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How to remember ボールペン
Ball plus pen contracted together. Drop the complexity and say the two key parts.
Related words
- envelope 封筒 fūtō
- fountain pen 万年筆 mannenhitsu
- computer mouse コンピュータマウス konpyūtamausu
- mousepad マウスパッド mausupaddo
- document 書類 shorui
- stapler ホッチキス hocchikisu
- poster ポスター posutā
- stationery 文房具 bunbōgu
- chart チャート chāto
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about ボールペン
How do you pronounce ボールペン?
ボールペン is romanised as bōrupen. Say it roughly like "boh-roo-peh-n" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is ボールペン formal or casual?
ボールペン is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is ボールペン written in Japanese?
ボールペン is written using katakana. Borupen shortens the English ball-point pen into katakana.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"Ball-point pen" in other languages
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