How do you say "candle" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "candle" is 蝋燭 (rōsoku). It is a noun pronounced "roh-soh-koo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of candle from Noun Town

Pronunciation

蝋燭 is written in kanji. Romanised as rōsoku, it sounds roughly like "roh-soh-koo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

その蝋燭はとても便利です。

Sono Rōsoku wa totemo benri desu.

That candle is very useful.

Usage notes

Rōsoku (蝋燭) is the Japanese word for candle. This noun appears in everyday contexts across homes, offices, schools, and public spaces.

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Questions about 蝋燭

How do you pronounce 蝋燭?

蝋燭 is romanised as rōsoku. Say it roughly like "roh-soh-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 蝋燭 formal or casual?

蝋燭 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 蝋燭 written in Japanese?

蝋燭 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.