Translation guide
The English word 'shutter' can refer to a camera part, a window covering, or a rolling door for a storefront. This guide covers how to express each meaning naturally in Japanese.
The mechanism in a camera that opens and closes to allow light to reach the film or sensor.
The standard loanword for a camera shutter. Used in all contexts.
A solid or louvered cover on the outside or inside of a window, used for security, privacy, or light control.
Traditional sliding wooden or metal shutters on the outside of Japanese houses, primarily for storm protection and security. Often closed at night.
A metal or plastic rolling door that covers the entrance of a shop or garage when closed.
While 'shutter' can be translated as シャッター for windows, it often refers to modern metal rolling shutters. For traditional Japanese wooden shutters, use 雨戸 (あまど). Using シャッター for a traditional house may sound odd.
シャッターを押す。
Press the shutter.
Adjust the shutter speed.
I close the shutters at night.
Also used for modern metal rolling shutters on windows, similar to storefront shutters. Can be ambiguous without context.
Lower the window shutter.
Refers to louvered shutters or blinds, often seen in Western-style architecture. Less common in everyday speech.
A window with louvered shutters.
The most common term for a rolling shutter on a storefront or garage. Often used in the phrase 'シャッターを下ろす' (to close the shutter).
The shop's shutter is closed.
Open the shutter.
A term for a shopping street where many shops have closed down and their shutters remain down, indicating economic decline.
This shopping street has become a shuttered street.