灯とう油ゆ

と

う

ゆ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

Refers to the petroleum fuel used in oil heaters, lamps, and similar equipment. In Japanese daily life it is especially associated with portable kerosene heaters in winter.

ストーブに灯とう油ゆを入いれた。

I put kerosene in the heater.

冬ふゆになると灯とう油ゆの値ね段だんが気きになる。

When winter comes, I start worrying about the price of kerosene.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉に灯とう油ゆを入いれるto put kerosene into (a heater, etc.)
ストーブに灯とう油ゆを入いれた。
I put kerosene into the heater.
灯とう油ゆが切きれるto run out of kerosene
灯とう油ゆが切きれたので買かいに行いった。
We ran out of kerosene, so I went to buy some.
灯とう油ゆを買かうto buy kerosene
冬ふゆになると灯とう油ゆをよく買かう。
In winter I buy kerosene often.

Kanji

灯lamp, a light, light
油oil, fat

Related words

石せき油ゆN3
灯油 is the standard modern word for kerosene, while 石油 in this sense is an older, colloquial way to say the same thing.
オイルN2
灯油 is the standard word for kerosene used in heaters, while オイル is used for kerosene only in limited compounds like オイルストーブ.

Don't confuse with

石せき油ゆN3
石油 is the broad term for petroleum in general, while 灯油 refers specifically to the refined kerosene fuel used in heaters and lamps.
軽けい油ゆ
軽油 is diesel fuel for engines, whereas 灯油 is kerosene burned in home heaters and lamps.
ガソリンN4
ガソリン is gasoline used to power cars, while 灯油 is kerosene used for heating and lighting, not for driving.

Word family

白はく灯とう油ゆ
kerosene; white kerosene

Etymology

A transparent Sino-Japanese compound: 灯 means lamp or light, and 油 means oil. The spelling matches the meaning 'lamp oil' or kerosene.