Translation guide
The English word "tick" has several distinct meanings: a small mark (✓), a blood-sucking arachnid, a short sound (like a clock), a unit of time, and more. This guide covers the most common meanings for learners.
To refer to the symbol ✓ used to indicate correctness or completion.
The most common and direct way to say 'tick' as a check mark. Often used in instructions or forms.
Please put a tick next to the correct answer.
Short for チェックマーク, commonly used in casual contexts or as a verb (チェックする).
Please put a tick in the box for each item on the list.
Refers specifically to the traditional Japanese check mark shape (レ), often used in grading or forms. Less common in modern digital contexts.
Put a tick on the answer sheet.
To refer to the small blood-sucking creature often found on animals or in grass.
The general term for ticks and mites. In context, it usually means tick. Use this for everyday conversation.
There was a tick on the dog.
I was bitten by a tick.
Specifically refers to hard ticks (family Ixodidae), the larger, more familiar blood-sucking ticks. Used in scientific or medical contexts.
To describe the repetitive clicking sound made by a clock or similar device.
To refer to a very short period of time, as in 'in a tick' or 'wait a tick'.
To refer to the smallest increment of time in a system, such as a stock tick or CPU tick.
Direct loanword used in technical contexts like stock trading (e.g., tick data) or computing (e.g., clock tick).
This system updates data every tick.
To refer to the strong cotton cover of a mattress or pillow.
General term for mattress cover. If you specifically mean the tightly woven cotton casing, you may need to describe it.
I washed the mattress tick.
Literally 'mattress side fabric', a more precise term for the ticking material. Used in manufacturing or bedding contexts.
The ticking on this mattress is breathable.
Ticks are arachnids, not insects. In Japanese, ダニ covers both ticks and mites, but in everyday speech, context makes it clear. If you need to be specific, use マダニ for hard ticks.
ちょっと is very versatile. To mean 'in a tick', you can say ちょっとしたら or ちょっとの間に. It's casual and natural.
Ticks can transmit Lyme disease.
チクタクという時計の音が部屋に響いた。
The tick-tock of the clock echoed in the room.
I'll be there in a tick.