Usage patterns 電でん 気き をつける to turn on the light
It was dark, so I turned on the light.
電でん 気き を 消け す to turn off the light
Please turn off the light before you go to sleep.
電でん 気き が 止と まる for the electricity (power supply) to be cut off
The power went out because of the typhoon.
電でん 気き を 使つか う to use electricity
In summer we use a lot of electricity for air conditioning.
電でん 気き が 通つう じる for electricity to reach/flow to a place
Electricity still hasn't reached this village.
Expressions 電でん 気き を 帯お びる be charged with electricity; carry an electric charge Related words 電力 is the technical term for electric power as a measurable energy quantity, while 電気 is the everyday word for electricity in general.
電灯 refers formally to an electric lamp or light fixture, whereas 電気 is the common colloquial word for the light itself, as in 電気をつける .
電子 (as a prefix) means 'electronic', referring to devices using microchips or circuitry, while 電気 means 'electric' and covers broader electrical phenomena like power and light.
電気 is the everyday native Japanese word for electricity/electric, while エレクトリック is a loanword mostly used in stylistic compound terms like エレクトリックギター .
電気 is the plain modern word for electric light, whereas 灯 is more literary and often implies a non-electric flame or lamp.
Don't confuse with· 5 電池 means 'battery', a portable power source, while 電気 refers to electricity itself, so the two are easy to mix up but are not interchangeable.
電機 (same reading as 電気 ) means electric machinery or electrical equipment industry, whereas 電気 refers to electricity or light itself.
電器 (also read でんき ) refers to electrical appliances, while 電気 is the broader word for electricity or electric light.
Show 2 more Show fewer 電気 is the general noun for electricity itself, while 電動 is an attributive word meaning 'powered by electricity', as in 電動自転車 vs 電気製品 .
電気 means electricity itself, while 電気製品 refers to the physical appliances or products that use electricity.
Word family· 111 Show 6 more Show fewer relay (electrical)
negative electricity; negative charge
heavy electric power; heavy electrical
negative charge; negative electricity
positive charge; positive electricity
electricity bill; electric bill
See all 111 in Explore →
Written forms 電でん 気き Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling for electricity and electric light.
デンキ Usage <1%
電でん 氣き Usage <1%
search-only kanji form
Kyūjitai form; included for search compatibility.
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound of 電 , “lightning,” and 気 , “vapor; vital force.” It was already used for electrical phenomena before the Meiji period and later became the standard term for electricity and electric power.
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