Translation guide
The English word 'locking' can refer to securing something with a lock, becoming fixed in place, or engaging a mechanism. This guide covers common Japanese expressions for these actions.
To fasten a door, container, or device using a key or combination lock.
The most common way to say 'lock' (a door, drawer, etc.). Literally 'apply a key'.
Please lock the door before you go out.
Formal term for locking, often used in official contexts or written instructions.
Please be sure to lock up when you leave.
Loanword from English, common for electronic devices, apps, or casual speech.
I locked my smartphone.
When a part of the body or a mechanism becomes fixed and cannot move.
Used for mechanical parts or joints that lock into place.
My knee locked up and I couldn't move it.
Means 'to harden' or 'to become stiff', used for muscles or joints seizing up.
Technical term for fixing or locking something in place, often used in engineering.
Lock the screw so it doesn't come loose.
To set a device or system into a locked state, such as a car's central locking or a safety lock.
鍵をかける is the standard, everyday expression for locking with a physical key. ロックする is a loanword often used for electronic locks, apps, or mechanical locking without a traditional key. In casual conversation, ロックする is very common for smartphones and computers.
lock the door (with a key)
lock the computer
English often uses 'locking' as a gerund (e.g., 'the locking of the door'). In Japanese, it's more natural to use the verb phrase 鍵をかけること or simply rephrase the sentence. Do not try to directly translate 'locking' as a standalone noun.
Locking the door is important.
The locking mechanism is broken.
寒さで指が固まって動かない。
My fingers are locked up from the cold and won't move.
I forgot to lock my bicycle.