Translation guide
PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) is a Japanese mobile phone standard. This guide explains how to refer to PHS in Japanese, including the term itself, its relationship to mobile phones, and related expressions.
PHS (the system or phone)
Pronounced ピーエイチエス. Refers to the Personal Handy-phone System, a Japanese mobile standard.
Referring to the PHS standard or a device using it.
The standard term, pronounced ピーエイチエス. Used in both technical and everyday contexts.
PHS is a communication standard developed in Japan.
At that time, few people had a PHS phone.
Literally 'PHS terminal', used in technical or formal contexts to refer to the device.
This PHS terminal only supports voice calls.
Occasionally used to emphasize it's a phone, but redundant in most contexts.
PHS phones were cheaper than mobile phones.
Clarifying that PHS is not the same as a regular mobile phone (keitai).
In Japanese, 携帯電話 refers to cellular phones, while PHS is a separate category. Avoid calling a PHS a 携帯.
PHS and mobile phones are different things.
Literally 'simplified mobile phone', an older formal term for PHS. Rarely used today.
Talking about PHS as a service, plan, or carrier.
Refers to the PHS service in general.
The PHS service ended in 2023.
PHS contract or subscription.
I'd like to cancel my PHS contract.
Mentioning PHS in the context of its decline or as a retro technology.
Means 'the former PHS' or 'PHS of the past', often used when discussing its history.
The PHS of the past was popular among young people.
Slang abbreviation of PHS (from 'PHS' -> 'P' -> ピー -> ピッチ). Used informally, especially among those who used PHS in the 1990s-2000s.
In English, 'mobile phone' can cover both cellular and PHS, but in Japanese, 携帯電話 (keitai denwa) specifically means a cellular phone. PHS is a distinct category. Calling a PHS a 携帯 may cause confusion.
The last PHS service in Japan ended in 2023. When referring to PHS today, it's usually in a historical context. Use past tense or phrases like かつてのPHS.
PHS is also called a simplified mobile phone.
昔、ピッチ使ってたよ。
I used to use a PHS back in the day.