Translation guide
The letter 'K' in English can refer to the letter itself, the sound /k/, or be used in abbreviations. This guide covers how to express these concepts in Japanese.
Referring to the letter K as a character in the alphabet.
The standard Japanese name for the letter K, borrowed from English.
The letter K is the 11th letter of the alphabet.
The Latin letter K is often used directly in Japanese text, especially in abbreviations or stylized contexts. It is read as ケー.
I like K-pop.
Referring to the consonant sound represented by K.
In Japanese, the /k/ sound is represented by the kana row か行 (ka, ki, ku, ke, ko). There is no single character for the consonant /k/ alone; it is always combined with a vowel.
Using K as an abbreviation for thousand (e.g., 5K = 5,000).
In Japanese, 'thousand' is 千 (sen). The prefix キロ (kiro) can be used for thousands in some contexts (like kilometers, kilograms), but for general numbers, 千 is used. The abbreviation 'K' is sometimes understood in informal digital contexts but is not standard.
It's 5,000 yen.
Using K as an abbreviation for kilo- in units like KB or km.
The prefix 'kilo-' is キロ in Japanese. For kilobytes, キロバイト (kiro baito) is used; for kilometers, キロメートル (kiro mētoru) or simply キロ.
Referring to the chemical element potassium, symbol K.
Using K to denote a strikeout in baseball.
In Japanese baseball, a strikeout is called 三振 (sanshin). The symbol K is sometimes used in scorekeeping but is not commonly spoken.
When referring to the letter K in Japanese, use ケー. Do not try to pronounce it as 'kay' or use the English letter name without adaptation.
K is read as 'kē'.
The sound of 'ka' is the /k/ sound.
フォロワーが10Kを超えました。
My followers exceeded 10K.
このファイルは500キロバイトです。
This file is 500 kilobytes.
It's 2 kilometers to the station.
The Japanese word for potassium is カリウム (kariumu). The symbol K is used in scientific contexts but read as カリウム.
Bananas contain a lot of potassium.
He got a strikeout.