Technology & Internet

Master N4 Japanese technology & internet vocabulary with 20+ essential words, key phrases, cultural notes, and practice tips for everyday digital life in Japan.

Overview

Walk into any electronics shop in Akihabara, and you'll be surrounded by words from this list. Japan runs on technology — QR code payments, LINE messages, IC card train passes. At the N4 level, this vocabulary shows up in everyday conversation, on restaurant menus, and across digital interfaces. What makes it approachable: Japanese mixes native words, Chinese-derived terms (漢語かんご), and loanwords from English (外来語がいらいご). Tech vocabulary leans heavily on that last category, which gives you a real head start.

Essential Words

基本的きほんてきなデジタル用語ようご — Basic Digital Terms

電話でんわ

denwa

— telephone; phone call

携帯電話けいたいでんわ

keitai denwa

— mobile phone; cell phone

スマートフォン

sumaatofon

— smartphone

パソコン

pasokon

— personal computer (PC)

タブレット

taburetto

— tablet (device)

画面がめん

gamen

— screen; display

インターネット — Internet

インターネット

intaanetto

— internet

ウェブサイト

webusaito

— website

メール

meeru

— email; mail

パスワード

pasuwaado

— password

ダウンロード

daunroodo

— download

アップロード

appuroodo

— upload

アプリ

apuri

— app; application

操作そうさ — Operations & Actions

送おくる

okuru

— to send (a message, file)

保存ほぞんする

hozon suru

— to save (data, a file)

検索けんさくする

kensaku suru

— to search; to look up

登録とうろくする

tooroku suru

— to register; to sign up

接続せつぞくする

setsuzoku suru

— to connect (to a network)

電子機器でんしきき — Electronics

電池でんち

denchi

— battery

充電じゅうでんする

juuden suru

— to charge (a device)

電源でんげん

dengen

— power; power source

カメラ

kamera

— camera

音量おんりょう

onryou

— volume (sound level)

Key Phrases

Each phrase below fits a real situation. Say them out loud, then try swapping in different words.

この近ちかくにWi-Fiが使つかえるカフェはありますか。

kono chikaku ni Wi-Fi ga tsukaeru kafe wa arimasu ka.

Is there a café nearby where I can use Wi-Fi?

携帯電話けいたいでんわの電池でんちが切きれそうです。充電じゅうでんできますか。

keitai denwa no denchi ga kiresou desu. juuden dekimasu ka.

My phone battery is about to die. Can I charge it?

このアプリを使つかうには登録とうろくが必要ひつようですか。

kono apuri o tsukau ni wa tooroku ga hitsuyou desu ka.

Do I need to register to use this app?

インターネットに接続せつぞくできません。パスワードを教おしえてもらえますか。

intaanetto ni setsuzoku dekimasen. pasuwaado o oshiete moraemasu ka.

I can't connect to the internet. Could you tell me the password?

このファイルをメールで送おくってください。

kono fairu o meeru de okutte kudasai.

Please send this file by email.

写真しゃしんをダウンロードして保存ほぞんしました。

shashin o daunroodo shite hozon shimashita.

I downloaded and saved the photos.

スマートフォンで地図ちずを検索けんさくしてみましょう。

sumaatofon de chizu o kensaku shite mimashou.

Let's search for a map on the smartphone.

音量おんりょうが小ちいさくて聞きこえません。上あげてもらえますか。

onryou ga chiisakute kikoemasen. agete moraemasu ka.

I can't hear — the volume is too low. Could you turn it up?

パソコンの電源でんげんを切きる前まえに、必かならずファイルを保存ほぞんしてください。

pasokon no dengen o kiru mae ni, kanarazu fairu o hozon shite kudasai.

Always save your files before turning off the computer.

Cultural Notes

Japan's relationship with technology is hard to overstate. Sony, Panasonic, and Fujitsu helped build the global electronics industry — and back home, digital tools are woven into the smallest daily habits. Most commuters tap an IC card (交通系ICカードこうつうけいアイシーカード) to board a train, scan a QR code to order at a restaurant, and pay for convenience store snacks without touching cash.

スマホ (sumaho) is how most people say "smartphone" in casual conversation. The full word スマートフォン sounds oddly formal in everyday speech. The same logic applies to パソコン (pasokon) — a contraction of "personal computer" that's been in common use since the 1980s.

Asking for a Wi-Fi password in a Japanese café is completely normal. Many shops now skip the password entirely and post a QR code that connects you automatically. On the social media side, LINE dominates personal messaging in Japan. Twitter (now X) also sees unusually high engagement there compared to most other countries — a quirk worth knowing if you follow Japanese accounts online.

Knowing these words makes daily life in Japan feel far less foreign.

Mastering Shopping & Money in Japanese (Vocabulary N4)
Jobs & Occupations (Vocabulary N4)
City & Directions (Vocabulary N4)
How to Talk About Hobbies & Sports (Vocabulary N4)
Travel & Transportation (Vocabulary N4)
Restaurant & Ordering (Vocabulary N4)

Practice Tips

Most tech terms on this page come straight from English. The sounds are already familiar — what trips people up is Japanese pronunciation and the shortened forms that native speakers actually use.

First, switch your devices to Japanese. Change the language settings on your phone or tablet. You'll immediately start seeing 設定せってい (settings), 検索けんさく (search), and 保存ほぞん (save) in real context every day — no textbook required.

Second, learn the shortened forms. Japanese regularly trims loanwords: application → アプリ, smartphone → スマホ, personal computer → パソコン. Make flashcards with three columns: English original, full Japanese form, and the shortened version you'll actually hear.

Third, write your own example sentences. Describe your daily tech habits in Japanese. This technique — sometimes called sentence mining — ties vocabulary to real meaning rather than abstract definitions.

Finally, browse Japanese YouTube or tech review channels. Creators use this vocabulary naturally while talking about phones, apps, and gadgets. It's authentic listening practice that doesn't feel like studying.