Words Related to Household Equipment -DAILY NIHONGO-

【テレビ（てれび）】”TEREBI”

Meaning: 

television

Usage: 

「最近の子供たちはあまりテレビを見ません。」
（さいきんのこどもたちはあまりてれびをみません。）
(Saikin no kodomotachi wa amari terebi o mimasen.)
” Kids these days don’t watch TV much.”

• 「～たち」is a pluralizing suffix. For example, if you say 「虎 (とら / tora / “tiger”)」, it may refer to “a tiger” or “tigers”. But if you say 「虎たち (とらたち / toratachi)」, it refers to “tigers” (plural). 
• 「たち」is sometimes written in Kanji, as 「達 (たち / tachi)」. As some of you might notice, 「達 (たち / tachi)」 in 「友達 (ともだち / tomodachi)」means the same thing. (You can call a friend [singular] 「友達 (ともだち / tomodachi)」, too!)
• 「あまり～(verb) ない」or 「あまり～(verb)ません」are words that describe how infrequently a subject does the action of the verb, meaning “not very much” or “not very often”.
  Usage:
  • 私はあまりお酒を飲みません。
    (わたしはあまりおさけをのみません / watashi wa amari osake o nomimasen)
    “I don’t drink much alcohol.”
  • 娘はまだあまり英語を話せない。
    (むすめはまだあまりえいごをはなせない / musume wa mada amari eigo o hanasenai)
    “My daughter still doesn’t (can’t) speak much English.”

Glossary:

• 最近（さいきん）: recently, lately, these days, nowadays
• 子供（こども）: child/ren, kid/s
• ～たち: (a pluralizing suffix)
• あまり～ない: not very much, not very often
• テレビ（てれび）: television
• 見る（みる）: to see, to watch, to look

【洗濯機（せんたくき）】”SENTAKUKI”

Meaning:

laundry machine

Usage:

「最近では洗濯機もWi-Fiに繋がっています。」
（さいきんではせんたくきもわいふぁいにつながっています。）
(Saikin dewa sentakuki mo waifai ni tsunagatteimasu.)
“Nowadays, washing machines are also connected to Wi-Fi.”

• 「洗濯機 (せんたくき / sentakuki)」is also pronounced as「せんたっき (sentakki)」. Most people pronounce it as「せんたっき (sentakki)」in conversation. If you type 「せんたっき (sentakki)」on your computer or smartphone, it can convert it into Kanji with no problem.
• You may physically connect your device to your PC with a cable or non-physically to Wi-Fi, etc. In both cases, “to connect” can be 「繋げる (つなげる / tsunageru)」or 「接続する (せつぞくする / setsuzokusuru)」 in Japanese.

Glossary:

• 最近（さいきん）: recently, lately, these days, nowadays
• 洗濯機（せんたくき）: laundry machine
• 繋がる（つながる）: to connect
• 繋がっている（つながっている）: to be connected

【冷蔵庫（れいぞうこ）】”REIZŌKO”

Meaning:

refrigerator

Usage:

「日本のキッチンは狭いので、冷蔵庫もスリムなものが多いです。」
（にほんのきっちんはせまいので、れいぞうこもすりむなものがおおいです。）
(Nihon no kicchin wa semainode, reizōko mo surimuna mono ga ōidesu.)
“Japanese kitchens are small, so most refrigerators are slim (narrow).”

• Due to the influence of the English language, the word 「キッチン (きっちん / kicchin)」 is often used nowadays, but in Japanese, it is called 「台所 (だいどころ / daidokoro)」.
  While 「台所 (だいどころ / daidokoro)」 is a word that young people can understand, the number of people who know the meaning of the old saying 「おかって (okatte)」 is decreasing year by year. If you are planning to do a homestay with an elderly family in the countryside, this is a good word to know.
• The opposite of 「狭い (せまい / semai)」is「広い (ひろい / hiroi)」. Both can be used to describe not only the width but also the size of the space.
  • この道路は狭い [広い]。=> It’s talking about the width of the road.
  • この部屋は狭い [広い]。=> It’s talking about the size of the room.

Glossary:

• 日本（にほん / にっぽん）: Japan
• キッチン（きっちん）: kitchen
• 狭い（せまい）: narrow, small space
• 冷蔵庫（れいぞうこ）: refridgerator
• スリム（すりむ）: slim
• 多い（おおい）: many

【電子レンジ（でんしれんじ）】”DENSHIRENJI”

Meaning:

microwave oven

Usage:

「日本では電子レンジで作る『レンチン』レシピが流行っているよ。」
（にほんではでんしれんじでつくる「れんちんれしぴ」がはやっているよ。）
(Nihon dewa  denshirenji de tsukuru “renchin-reshipi” ga hayatteiruyo.)
“In Japan, ‘Ren-Chin recipe’ (microwave recipe) is in trend.”

• 「レンチン (れんちん / renchin)」is an abbreviation for 「レンジでチンする (れんじでちんする / renji de chin suru)」, which means “to heat something in the microwave”.
  「レンジ (れんじ / renji)」is an abbreviation for 「電子レンジ (でんしれんじ / denshi renji)」 and 「チン (chin)」represents the sound of the microwave oven when it finishes heating up. (Well, modern microwaves do make a beeping sound, though…)
• Many people buy microwavable Japanese food as souvenirs. (You need to be careful if the ingredients are subject to confiscation by quarantine.) Most microwave ovens in Japan are 500 or 600 watts, so here is a formula that can help you calculate how many minutes it takes to heat your home microwave oven if it has a different wattage.
  
  Actual heating time with your microwave = wattage listed on the product x heating time listed on the product/wattage of your home microwave
  
  So if you buy microwavable rice (600 watts, 2 mins) and your microwave is 1,000 watts:
  
  1.2 mins = 600 watts x 2 mins / 1000 watts
  1.2 mins x 60 secs = 72 secs
  
  So that means you have to heat it up for 1 minute 12 seconds! It is also useful for heating up your own country’s food you bring with you when you come to Japan, so please keep it in mind.

Glossary:

• 日本（にほん / にっぽん）: Japan
• 電子レンジ（でんしれんじ）: microwave oven
• 作る（つくる）: to make, to cook
• レンチン（れんちん）: to heat something in the microwave
• レシピ（れしぴ）: recipe
• 流行る（はやる）: to be popular, to come into fashion

【エアコン（えあこん）】”EAKON”

Meaning:

air conditioner

Usage:

「日本の通勤電車にはエアコンが弱めの『弱冷房車』という車両があります。」
（にほんのつうきんでんしゃにはえあこんがよわめの「じゃくれいぼうしゃ」というしゃりょうがあります。）
(Nihon no tsūkin densha niwa eakon ga yowame no “jaku-reibōsha” toiu sharyō ga arimasu.)
“Some commuter trains in Japan have “mildly air-conditioned cars” with low air conditioning.”

• In addition to the regular cars, commuter trains in Japan have mildly air-conditioned cars and women-only cars (女性専用車両 [じょせいせんようしゃりょう / josei-sen yō-sharyō]). Mildly air-conditioned cars are called 「弱冷房車 (じゃくれいぼうしゃ / jaku-reibō-sha)」 in the Kanto region, and 「弱冷車 (じゃくれいしゃ / jaku-rei-sha)」 in the Kansai region.
  Also, the location of women-only cars differs between the Kanto and Kansai regions; the first or last car in the Kanto region and the middle car in the Kansai region often being women-only cars.
• 「エアコン (えあこん / eakon)」 comes from English, but in Japan, we originally have the words 「冷房 (れいぼう / reibō / “cooler”)」 and 「暖房 (だんぼう / danbō / “heater”)」. Even though it is the same machine, we call it 「冷房 (れいぼう / reibō)」 in summer and 「暖房 (だんぼう / danbō)」 in winter. These are still common words today. The remote control of an air conditioner has both 「冷房 (れいぼう / reibō)」 and 「暖房 (だんぼう / danbō)」 written on it so that you can switch the operation.

Glossary:

• 日本（にほん / にっぽん）: Japan
• 通勤（つうきん）:  commuting to work
• 電車（でんしゃ）: train
• 通勤電車（つうきんでんしゃ）: commuter train
• エアコン（えあこん）: air conditioner
• 弱め（よわめ）: mildish, weakish, a little milder, a little weaker
• 弱（じゃく）: (the setting of machines) “weak” or “mild” *Antonym: 強 (きょう / kyō)
• 冷房（れいぼう）: air conditioner *This is a word for an air conditioner that was originally used in Japan.
• 車（しゃ / くるま）: car
• 車両（しゃりょう）: wheeled vehicle

【掃除機（そうじき）】”SŌJIKI”

Meaning:

vacuum cleaner

Usage:

「ロボット掃除機を買って、かなり楽になった！」
（ろぼっとそうじきをかって、かなりらくになった！）
(Robotto-sōjiki o katte, kanari rakuninatta!)
“I got a robot vacuum cleaner, and it’s made my life a lot easier!”

• 「楽になる (らくになる / raku-ni-naru)」can be used when doing something has become easier, or when your feelings have become easier, free from anxiety, pressure, or stress.
  • 「近くにスーパーができて、買い物が楽になった。」
    (ちかくにすーぱーができて、かいものがらくになった / chikaku ni sūpā ga dekite, kaimono ga raku ni natta）
    “A new supermarket was opened nearby, which made my shopping easier.”
  • 「落とした財布が見つかって、気持ちが楽になった。」
    (おとしたさいふがみつかって、きもちがらくになった / otoshita saifu ga mitsukatte, kimochi ga raku ni natta)
    “I felt relieved when I found my lost wallet.”

Glossary:

• ロボット（ろぼっと）: robot
• 掃除機（そうじき）: vacuum cleaner
• 買う（かう）: to buy
• かなり: quite, considerably
• 楽（らく）: comfort, ease, without hard work
• 楽になる（らくになる）: to become easy, to feel relieved

【リモコン（りもこん）】”RIMOKON”

Meaning:

remote control

Usage:

「スマートスピーカーを買ってから、リモコンを使う機会が減ったよ。」
（すまーとすぴーかーをかってから、りもこんをつかうきかいがへったよ。）
(Sumāto-supīkā o katte kara, rimokon o tsukau kikai ga hettayo.)
“After getting a smart speaker, I don’t use the remote controller as often as before.”

• Unfortunately, I don’t have a smart speaker in my house, but my friend’s family bought one to practice English. They set the language setting to English and talk to each other. It worked (especially for her kids)! If you have a smart speaker (or Siri) that supports Japanese, maybe it would be a good idea to set the language setting to Japanese to practice it.  

Glossary:

• スマートスピーカー（すまーとすぴーかー）: smart speaker
• 買う（かう）: to buy
• ～から: since […], from […] 
• リモコン（りもこん）: remote control
• 使う（つかう）: to use
• 機会（きかい）: chance, opportunity
• 減る（へる）: to decrease