How do you say "signal" in Japanese?

信号

shingou

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "signal" is 信号 (shingou).

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Pronunciation

SHEEN-goh, two syllables with a nasal 'n' sound folded into the first, then a short clean 'go' to finish.

Writing and usage

信号 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

丘の方では電話の電波が弱かった。

oka no hou deha denwa no denpa ga yowaka tta.

The phone signal was weak in the hills.

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How to remember 信号

Shingou also means traffic light in everyday use — think of a signal as something that tells you go or stop.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 信号

How do you pronounce 信号?

SHEEN-goh, two syllables with a nasal 'n' sound folded into the first, then a short clean 'go' to finish.

Is 信号 formal or casual?

信号 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 信号 written in Japanese?

信号 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as shingou.

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.

"Signal" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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