How do you say "metal" in Japanese?

金属

kinzoku

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "metal" is 金属 (kinzoku).

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Pronunciation

金属 is written using kanji. Romanised as kinzoku, it sounds roughly like "kee-n-zoh-koo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kinzoku uses two kanji 金属, with gold as a key element. This compound is used in industrial and scientific contexts.

Example sentence

金属を使います。

Kinzoku wo tsukaimasu.

I use the metal.

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How to remember 金属

Kin means gold or metal, zoku means family or category. Metals are a family of materials.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more beach words.

Questions about 金属

How do you pronounce 金属?

金属 is romanised as kinzoku. Say it roughly like "kee-n-zoh-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 金属 formal or casual?

金属 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 金属 written in Japanese?

金属 is written using kanji. Kinzoku uses two kanji 金属, with gold as a key element.

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.

"Metal" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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