Translation guide
The letter 'E' in English can refer to the letter itself, a grade or rating, the musical note, or be used in various abbreviations and contexts. This guide covers how to express these concepts in Japanese.
Referring to the letter of the alphabet
The letter 'E' is directly used in Japanese, often in contexts like product names, sizes, or when spelling out words. It is pronounced イー (ī).
この単語にはEが二つ入っています。
This word has two E's in it.
Katakana representation of the letter 'E', used when emphasizing pronunciation or in contexts where Latin script is not used.
アルファベットのイーは5番目の文字です。
The letter E is the fifth letter of the alphabet.
Expressing a failing or lowest grade in school or evaluation
Used in some Japanese grading systems to indicate the lowest or failing grade, similar to an 'F' in some Western systems. Note that grading scales vary; often '1' or '不可' is used instead.
彼は数学でE判定を取ってしまった。
He got an E in math.
Means 'fail' or 'unacceptable', commonly used in academic contexts to denote a failing grade. More standard than 'E判定' in many schools.
成績は不可だった。
My grade was an F (fail).
In some Japanese grading systems, '1' is the lowest score on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, equivalent to an E or F.
通知表に1がついていた。
I got a 1 (lowest grade) on my report card.
Referring to the note E in music
The Japanese name for the musical note E (mi in solfège). Used in traditional Japanese music notation and when referring to the note in a Japanese context.
この曲はホ長調です。
This piece is in E major.
In modern music contexts, especially Western music, the letter 'E' is often used directly, pronounced イー.
ギターのEコードを押さえてください。
Please hold the E chord on the guitar.
Solfège name for E, used in singing and some music education. Less common than ホ for instrumental music.
ドレミファソラシドのミはEです。
The mi in do-re-mi is E.
Using E as an abbreviation for East
Referring to the drug MDMA/Ecstasy
The drug is commonly referred to by its English name in katakana. Often shortened to 'E' in English slang, but in Japanese the full word is used.
This is illegal drug slang; use only in appropriate contexts.
彼はエクスタシーを使用した。
He used Ecstasy.
Referring to the vitamin
Vitamin E is directly expressed as ビタミンE, pronounced ビタミンイー.
ビタミンEは肌に良いです。
Vitamin E is good for the skin.
Referring to Euler's number
The mathematical constant e is called ネイピア数 (Napier's constant) or simply e (イー).
ネイピア数は自然対数の底です。
e is the base of the natural logarithm.
Often just written as 'e' and read as イー in mathematical contexts.
eのx乗の微分はeのx乗です。
The derivative of e to the x is e to the x.
Referring to an E cup size or clothing size
Used for bra cup sizes. Pronounced イーカップ.
彼女はEカップです。
She is an E cup.
General size E for clothing or other items.
この靴のEサイズはありますか？
Do you have these shoes in size E?
In Japan, failing grades are often represented by 不可 (fail) or a numerical 1, not necessarily 'E'. Use E判定 only if the specific system uses it.
When 'E' is part of an English abbreviation (like ETA, ECG), it is usually kept as 'E' and read as イー. The full term may be translated, but the abbreviation often remains in Latin script.
その単語はEで始まります。
The word starts with E.