Translation guide
A binder is a device or substance used to hold things together. This guide covers common Japanese equivalents for office binders, binding materials, and related concepts.
A cover with rings or clamps for holding loose papers, commonly used in schools and offices.
The most common and direct loanword for a ring binder or clip binder. Widely understood.
書類をバインダーに綴じる。
I file the documents in a binder.
Often used for a file folder or binder, especially a clear file or a ring file. Can be ambiguous, so context helps.
このファイルにプリントを閉じてください。
Please put the handouts in this binder.
Specifically a ring binder. Clearer than just ファイル when you need to specify the ring mechanism.
リングファイルのリングが壊れた。
The rings on the ring binder broke.
A material that holds other substances together, such as in cooking, construction, or chemistry.
General term for a binding agent in technical or chemical contexts.
この塗料には結合剤として樹脂が使われている。
This paint uses resin as a binder.
Commonly used in cooking for a binding ingredient like egg or starch. Casual and practical.
ハンバーグのつなぎにパン粉を使う。
I use breadcrumbs as a binder for hamburger patties.
Also used as a loanword for chemical or industrial binders, but less common than 結合剤 in formal writing.
A person or device that ties or fastens things together, such as a bookbinder or a farm machine that binds sheaves.
A person who binds books. Very specific and not commonly used in daily conversation.
彼は熟練した製本者だ。
He is a skilled bookbinder.
In agricultural contexts, a binder is a machine that cuts grain and ties it into sheaves. The loanword is used, but it's a specialized term.
昔はバインダーで稲を刈っていた。
In the past, they harvested rice with a binder.
ファイル can mean both a physical binder/folder and a digital file. In an office setting, if you say ファイルをください, you might be asked whether you mean a physical folder or a digital file. Use バインダー or リングファイル to be clear.
そのファイル、紙ですか？データですか？
Is that file paper or digital?
What is the binder component of this adhesive?