Translation guide
The English word 'pipe' covers several distinct meanings: a tube for liquids/gas, a smoking device, a musical instrument, and more. This guide helps learners choose the right Japanese word for each meaning.
A hollow cylinder used to convey water, gas, oil, etc.
The most common and general word for 'pipe' in the sense of a tube. Used in many contexts, from plumbing to industrial piping. A loanword from English.
This pipe is leaking water.
We need to replace the gas pipe.
A native Japanese word for 'pipe' or 'tube'. Often used in compound words or more technical contexts. Can refer to smaller tubes or ducts.
The water pipe burst.
This pipe is clogged.
Refers to a cylindrical object, often a tube or pipe, but more general. Can be used for things like a gun barrel or a container. Less common for plumbing.
They buried an iron pipe in the ground.
A device for smoking tobacco, consisting of a bowl and a stem.
The standard word for a smoking pipe. Same loanword as the tube meaning, but context distinguishes it.
He has a pipe in his mouth.
My grandfather smokes a pipe every evening.
A traditional Japanese smoking pipe with a long stem and small bowl. Used historically, now mostly in period dramas or as an antique.
A wind instrument consisting of a tube with holes, or a set of pipes in an organ.
General word for a flute or pipe-like wind instrument. Covers recorders, fifes, and similar instruments. Not used for organ pipes.
Children learn a pipe called a recorder.
Used specifically for organ pipes or in the context of bagpipes. Not for simple flutes.
A general term for wind instruments, literally 'pipe instrument'. More formal or categorical.
A mechanism for passing data between processes or programs.
The standard technical term in computing, borrowed from English. Used in programming and command-line contexts.
In Unix, you connect commands using pipes.
A vertical conduit through which magma rises.
The technical term for a volcanic pipe or conduit. Used in geology.
Magma rises through the volcanic pipe.
In the period drama, the samurai is using a kiseru pipe.
The pipes of a pipe organ are very large.
Wind instruments include the flute and clarinet.