Translation guide
The English word "shell" covers a wide range of meanings, from the hard outer covering of eggs and sea creatures to military projectiles and computer interfaces. This guide organizes the most common and useful Japanese equivalents by meaning.
The natural protective layer of eggs, nuts, or animals like turtles, snails, and shellfish.
General term for hard outer covering of eggs, nuts, insects, etc. Not typically used for sea shells or turtle shells alone.
Please crack the egg shell.
Specifically the shell of a shellfish (clam, oyster, etc.). Commonly used for seashells found on the beach.
The shell of a turtle or tortoise. Also used for crab shells in some contexts.
Technical term for outer shell or exoskeleton, used in biology or engineering.
A metal casing containing explosives, fired from a cannon or large gun.
The external case or framework of something, like a building, vehicle, or electronic device.
A program that provides a text-based interface to the operating system.
Direct loanword used in IT contexts. Common among programmers.
A type of pasta shaped like a small shell.
Commonly used in Japanese to refer to shell-shaped pasta.
A person's reserved or withdrawn state, often described as coming out of one's shell.
To retreat into one's shell; to become withdrawn.
殻 (から) is the general term for hard outer coverings of eggs, nuts, insects, etc. 貝殻 (かいがら) specifically means seashell or shellfish shell. 甲羅 (こうら) is for turtle or tortoise shells. Using the wrong one can sound unnatural.
egg shell / sea shell / turtle shell
The snail retreated into its shell.
Walnut shells are very hard.
海岸で美しい貝殻を拾った。
I picked up a beautiful shell on the beach.
The turtle pulled its head into its shell.
The insect's outer shell is made of chitin.
Standard term for an artillery shell or cannonball.
The tank fired a shell.
Bullet or projectile; can refer to small arms ammunition, but also used for shells in a broader sense.
Empty shell casings were scattered on the ground.
High-explosive shell or grenade. More specific military term.
A shell exploded near the trench.
Exterior covering or casing, used for buildings, appliances, etc.
I replaced the shell of my smartphone.
Can be used metaphorically for the outer shell of a building or structure, especially when emphasizing emptiness.
After the fire, the building was just a shell.
Housing or chassis, often used for electronic devices or machinery.
I opened the computer shell to clean it.
シェルスクリプトを書いて自動化した。
I wrote a shell script to automate it.
Refers to the command-line interface itself, often used interchangeably with shell.
Run the program from the shell.
Let's make a shell pasta salad tonight.
Italian name for shell pasta, sometimes used in gourmet contexts.
Conchiglie are shaped like shells.
He retreated into his shell after the heartbreak.
To break out of one's shell; to overcome shyness or limitations.
Studying abroad helped her come out of her shell.
The loanword シェル is mainly used in computing or for pasta. For natural shells (eggs, sea creatures), use the appropriate Japanese word.
I picked up shells at the beach.
She collected shells along the shore.
The artillery shell landed nearby.