電気
でんき
hepburn denki
electricity, electric light
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
電lightning
Show part origins
氣spirit
Show part origins
Show stroke order animation
13 strokes · 9.0s
6 strokes · 4.1s
Examples
- 電気をつけてください。Please turn on the light.
- 電気代が高いです。Electricity bill is high.
Collocations
電気 (denki, electricity / lights)電気代 (denkidai, electricity bill)電気屋 (denkiya, electronics shop)節電 (setsuden, power saving)停電 (teiden, power outage)
Mnemonic
電気 denki — kanji "lightning (電) + energy (気)" — coined in the Meiji era to translate English "electricity" (1860s 蘭学 / 福沢諭吉 Western Studies). Same kanji as Korean jeongi. Multiple meaning layers: (1) electrical energy (電気代, electricity bill), (2) lamps / lighting (電気をつける, turn the lights on — extension to "illumination"), (3) electrical appliances (家電 kaden = abbreviation of 家庭電気). One word stacks Meiji science vocabulary, everyday lighting, and the consumer-appliance cluster. Japan's appliance industry built its corporate identity on 電気 (Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba carried the kanji proudly).
Quick check
Meaning of "電気をつけて"?