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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "bulb" in Japanese?

電球

denkyuu

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "bulb" is 電球 (denkyuu).

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Pronunciation

Denkyuu has a palatal 'ky' sound then a long 'uu', so it's 'den-KYOO', with weight on the stretched ending.

Writing and usage

電球 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

昨夜、電球が切れちゃったんだ。

sakuya, denkyuu ga kire chattanda.

The light bulb burned out last night.

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How to remember 電球

Denkyuu sounds like 'den cue' -- picture a lamp in your den cueing up light the moment the bulb switches on.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 電球

How do you pronounce 電球?

Denkyuu has a palatal 'ky' sound then a long 'uu', so it's 'den-KYOO', with weight on the stretched ending.

Is 電球 formal or casual?

電球 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 電球 written in Japanese?

電球 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as denkyuu.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Bulb" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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