Word
電池
Meaning in Englishbattery
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
A device that stores chemical energy and releases it as electrical energy to power electronic devices.
Main meanings
- Portable energy storage device powering gadgets and tools.
- Can refer to a single electrochemical cell inside a pack, especially when distinguishing from a full battery.
- Commonly specified as 乾電池 (dry cell) or 蓄電池 (rechargeable battery) to differentiate types.
How to use it
In everyday Japanese, 電池 is a general noun for batteries. In formal technical writing, 蓄電池 is used for rechargeable types; in casual speech, 電池 or バッテリー is common. It appears in contexts like household electronics, portable devices, and energy storage discussions; used with counters such as 本 to refer to individual cells, and with verbs like 交換する, 入れる, 使用する.
Variants and close terms
- 乾電池 (かんでんち, kandenchi) — dry cell
- 蓄電池 (ちくでんち, chikudenchi) — rechargeable battery
- バッテリー (ばってりー, batterī) — battery, loanword
Composition
- 電: electricity, energy source
- 池: pond, reservoir; metaphorically a container or storage unit
Etymology
電 electricity; 池 pond; the compound uses these meanings to convey a device that stores electrical energy, with readings den = denchi; a Sino-Japanese formation indicating energy storage in a container.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Related words by kanji and components
N2
乾電池
kandenchi
dry cell, battery
N1
電源
dengen
source of electricity, power (e.g., button on TV)
N2
電球
denkyuu
light bulb
N2
電柱
denchuu
telephone pole, telegraph pole, light pole
N2
電波
dempa
electro-magnetic wave
N2
電流
denryuu
electric current
N2
電力
denryoku
electric power
N2
発電
hatsuden
generation (e.g., power)
N3
停電
teiden
power outage, electricity outage, blackout