乾電池

かんでんち

dry cell, battery

JLPT N2

Character Breakdown

Overview

The word 乾電池 (かんでんち) refers specifically to a dry cell battery, commonly used in everyday electronic devices like remote controls, flashlights, and toys. It is a standard term in Japanese for portable batteries that do not contain liquid electrolyte.

Usage and Context

You will often hear 乾電池 in contexts involving replacing or using batteries in household gadgets. It is a neutral, common noun suitable for both casual and formal conversations. When talking about batteries in general, 乾電池 is the typical term for disposable or rechargeable dry cells.

Common Collocations

  • 乾電池を交換する: to replace the dry cell battery
  • 乾電池が切れる: the battery runs out
  • 乾電池で動く: to run on dry cell batteries

These phrases are frequently used when discussing battery maintenance or device operation.

Tips for Learners

Be careful not to confuse 乾電池 with 蓄電池 (ちくでんち), which means rechargeable battery or storage battery. Also, 乾電池 usually implies disposable batteries, so if you want to specify rechargeable batteries, use terms like 充電式乾電池 (じゅうでんしきかんでんち).

Understanding 乾電池 helps you talk about everyday electronics and their power sources naturally in Japanese.

Example Sentences

リモコンのちょうしがわるいので、かんでんちをこうかんしました。

The remote control wasn't working well, so I replaced the dry cell.

このかいちゅうでんとうはかんでんちでうごきます。

This flashlight runs on dry cell batteries.

かんでんちがきれたら、あたらしいものにとりかえてください。

When the dry cell runs out, please replace it with a new one.