Translation guide
The English word "chip" has many meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: a small piece broken off, a potato snack, a computer microchip, a gambling token, and a flaw in something. It also includes related phrases like "chip in" and "chip off the old block."
A small piece that has broken off a larger object, like wood, stone, glass, or paint.
General word for a fragment or small piece broken off something.
ガラスのかけらが床に落ちていた。
Chips of glass were on the floor.
More formal or technical term for a fragment, often used for shattered objects.
爆発でガラスの破片が飛び散った。
Glass chips flew everywhere from the explosion.
Refers to a chip or nick in an edge, like on a plate or blade.
この茶碗には小さな欠けがある。
This teacup has a small chip in it.
A thin slice of potato fried until crisp, eaten as a snack. In British English, "crisp"; in American English, "chip" or "potato chip."
The standard Japanese loanword for potato chips. Often shortened to ポテチ in casual speech.
ポテトチップスを一袋食べてしまった。
I ate a whole bag of chips.
Casual abbreviation of ポテトチップス, very common in everyday conversation.
ポテチ買ってきて。
Buy some chips, will you?
A small piece of silicon containing electronic circuits, used in computers and other devices.
The standard loanword for a computer chip or integrated circuit.
このスマホには最新のチップが搭載されている。
This smartphone has the latest chip inside.
Specifically an integrated circuit chip. Often used in technical contexts.
ICチップの製造には高度な技術が必要だ。
Manufacturing IC chips requires advanced technology.
Semiconductor chip; used in industry and news.
半導体チップの不足が自動車生産に影響している。
The semiconductor chip shortage is affecting car production.
A small disc used in place of money in gambling games like poker.
The standard loanword for gambling chips.
彼はポーカーでチップを全部失った。
He lost all his chips in poker.
A small damaged area where a piece has broken off an object, like a cup or a tooth.
Refers to a chip or nick in an edge or surface.
歯が欠けた。
I chipped my tooth.
この皿には欠けがある。
This plate has a chip in it.
General word for a flaw, scratch, or damage; can include a chip but is broader.
テーブルに小さな傷がある。
There's a small chip (or scratch) on the table.
To contribute money or help as part of a group.
Literally 'put money out together'; the most natural way to say 'chip in' for a shared expense.
プレゼント代をお金を出し合って買った。
We chipped in to buy the present.
Means 'cooperate' or 'pitch in' with effort, not necessarily money.
みんなで協力して掃除した。
Everyone chipped in to clean up.
A person who is very similar to one of their parents in character or appearance.
A proverb meaning 'like father, like son' or 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.'
彼も父親と同じエンジニアになった。この親にしてこの子ありだね。
He became an engineer just like his dad. He's a chip off the old block.
Means 'as alike as two peas in a pod,' often used for parent-child resemblance.
彼は父親と瓜二つだ。
He's the spitting image of his father — a real chip off the old block.
In American English, 'chips' can mean both potato chips (crisps) and French fries. In Japanese, ポテトチップス only means the thin, crispy snack. For French fries, use フライドポテト or just ポテト.
欠け (かけ) refers to the damaged spot itself (a chip in a cup), while かけら is the broken-off piece (a chip of glass). Use 欠け for the flaw and かけら for the fragment.
グラスを欠かないように気をつけて。
Be careful not to chip the glass.
ポテトチップスを一袋買った。
I bought a bag of chips.
そのコンピューターは高速なチップを使っている。
The computer uses a fast chip.