The Meaning of denchi [電池] In Japanese

電池
でんち
Romaji: denchi N5

What does 電池 mean?

Translation and Meaning

battery, cell

Definition

A device that stores chemical energy and releases it as electrical energy to power electronic devices.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

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.

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.

Composition

  • 電: electricity, energy source
  • 池: pond, reservoir; metaphorically a container or storage unit

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Visualize a pond (池) filled with electric sparks (電); when you charge a device, you are filling the pond with energy to use later.

Variations

  • 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

Example Phrases

  • カメラの電池が切れてしまい、撮影が中断した。
    kamera no denchi ga kirete shimai, satsuei ga chūdan shita.
    The camera’s battery ran out, and the filming was interrupted.
    Lista:
    • カメラ (kamera) – camera
    • の (no) – of
    • 電池 (denchi) – battery
    • が (ga) – (subject marker)
    • 切れてしまい (kirete shimai) – having run out (regrettably)
    • 撮影 (satsuei) – shooting
    • が (ga) – (subject marker)
    • 中断した (chuudan shita) – was interrupted
    Aqui, 「切れてしまい」 é a forma て + しまう de 「切れる」, indicando um resultado indesejado que conecta duas ações.
  • スマホの電池を充電しながら友達に電話した。
    sumaho no denchi o juuden shinagara tomodachi ni denwa shita.
    I called a friend while charging my smartphone’s battery.
    Lista:
    • スマホ (sumaho) – smartphone
    • の (no) – possessive particle
    • 電池を (denchi o) – battery
    • 充電しながら (juuden shinagara) – while charging
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 電話した (denwa shita) – called
    Uso de 「しながら」 para indicar ações simultâneas; neste exemplo, 「充電しながら」 significa ‘while charging’ e 「電池」 funciona como o objeto de 充電する.
電池