Translation guide
The English word "pip" has several distinct meanings, from fruit seeds to electronic sounds. This guide covers the most common meanings useful for English-speaking learners of Japanese.
Referring to the small hard seed inside an apple, orange, grape, etc.
General word for seed, pit, or stone. Covers most fruit seeds.
りんごの種を取ってください。
Please remove the apple seeds.
Technical/formal term for seed, used in botanical or scientific contexts.
This plant is grown from seeds.
Specifically the small seeds in grapes, oranges, lemons, etc., often considered undesirable.
A brief beep or tone, like a phone notification, timer, or electronic device.
The symbols (spades, hearts, etc.) or dots indicating value.
General term for suit symbol on cards. Also used for pips on dice.
What is the suit of this card?
Specifically for dice pips or the number rolled.
Borrowed from English 'suit', used in card games.
The spade suit is the strongest.
A star or other symbol indicating rank.
A contagious disease affecting poultry, often respiratory.
English 'pip' for a beep is onomatopoeic. Japanese uses ピッ or ピーッ, not a direct translation. Using 種 for a sound would be nonsense.
種 (たね) works for both, but for larger pits like peach, 核 (かく) or 種 (たね) can be used. 種 is the safest choice.
I bought seedless grapes.
この機械はエラー時に電子音が鳴ります。
This machine emits an electronic sound when an error occurs.
The dice showed a six.
The general wears three stars.
Pip is a respiratory disease of birds.