Classroom objects in Japanese: school supplies vocabulary

Walk into a Japanese classroom and the first words you need are not abstract grammar—they are the things on every desk: pencil, eraser, notebook, board. If you are studying nihongo or heading into a real school setting, these classroom objects become daily vocabulary almost immediately.

Below is a practical beginner map of school supplies and room items in Japanese, with kana, romaji, and English. Many loanwords sound familiar, but kanji still decide the exact meaning—and a few names hide small stories worth remembering.

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Writing utensils and surfaces in Japanese

Tip: On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Kana / kanji	Romaji	English
えんぴつ / 鉛筆	enpitsu	pencil
シャーペン	shaapen	mechanical pencil
消しゴム	keshigomu	eraser
ペン	pen	pen
ボールペン	boorupen	ballpoint pen
マジック	majikku	marker (from “magic marker”)
チョーク	chooku	chalk
こくばん / 黒板	kokuban	blackboard
ホワイトボード	howaitoboodo	whiteboard
ふで / 筆	fude	writing brush
筆箱	fudebako	pencil case
かみ / 紙	kami	paper
げんこうようし / 原稿用紙	genkou youshi	Japanese composition paper (grid of boxes)
ぶんぼうぐ / ぶんぐ	bunbougu / bungu	stationery / writing supplies

On 消しゴム (keshigomu): keshi comes from the verb “to erase,” while gomu is “rubber,” borrowed via the French word for rubber. It is the everyday eraser you keep next to your enpitsu.

Majikku usually means a felt-tip marker, not a highlighter. For mechanical pencils, Japanese often shortens “sharp pencil” to shaapen (シャーペン)—a classic example of Japanese-made English you will hear in class and stationery shops.

Arts, crafts, and tools in the classroom

Tip: On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Kana / kanji	Romaji	English
色紙	irogami	colored paper
折り紙	origami	origami paper
はさみ	hasami	scissors
のり / 糊	nori	glue, paste
定規	jougi	ruler
ホッチキス	hotchikisu	stapler
ステープル	suteepuru	staple
クリップ	kurippu	paper clip
バインダー	baindaa	binder

The stapler word hotchikisu comes from the brand name Hotchkiss—another reminder that Japanese classroom vocabulary mixes native words, kanji compounds, and borrowed labels that stuck for decades.

Books and paper materials

Tip: On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Kana / kanji	Romaji	English
本	hon	book
絵本	ehon	picture book
教科書	kyoukasho	textbook
ノート	nooto	notebook
じしょ / じてん	jisho / jiten	dictionary

• jisho is the everyday word for “dictionary.” jiten often appears when you name a specific type—for example, a Japanese–English dictionary (和英辞典) or an English–Japanese dictionary (英和辞典).

Electronics in the classroom

Tip: On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Kana / kanji	Romaji	English
電気	denki	light; electricity
電話	denwa	telephone
テレビ	terebi	TV
CDプレイヤー	shiidii pureiyaa	CD player
DVDプレイヤー	diibuidii pureiyaa	DVD player
リモコン	rimokon	remote control
パソコン	pasokon	personal computer (abbr.)
プロジェクター	purojekutaa	projector
でんしじしょ	denshi jisho	electronic dictionary

Even when classes lean digital, older classroom electronics remain useful labels: many learners still meet pasokon, rimokon, and denshi jisho in textbooks and school life.

Around the classroom

Tip: On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Kana / kanji	Romaji	English
部屋	heya	room
教室	kyoushitsu	classroom
床	yuka	floor
壁	kabe	wall
天井	tenjou	ceiling
ドア	doa	door
窓	mado	window
時計	tokei	clock; watch
机	tsukue	desk
椅子	isu	chair

Notice how 教 links classroom and textbook: kyoushitsu (教室) and kyoukasho (教科書) share the same “teach” kanji. Once you spot that pattern, school vocabulary starts to feel less random.

When you can name the objects, the next step is using them in real lines—borrow a pencil, open the textbook, write on the board. Those classroom phrases live in our guide to classroom expressions in Japanese.