Translation guide
The English word "shell" covers a wide range of meanings, from the hard outer covering of eggs and sea creatures to military projectiles and computer interfaces. This guide organizes the most common and useful Japanese equivalents by meaning.
The natural protective layer of eggs, nuts, or animals like turtles, snails, and shellfish.
General term for hard outer covering of eggs, nuts, insects, etc. Not typically used for sea shells or turtle shells alone.
卵の殻を割ってください。
Please crack the egg shell.
クルミの殻はとても硬い。
Walnut shells are very hard.
Specifically the shell of a shellfish (clam, oyster, etc.). Commonly used for seashells found on the beach.
The shell of a turtle or tortoise. Also used for crab shells in some contexts.
Technical term for outer shell or exoskeleton, used in biology or engineering.
A metal casing containing explosives, fired from a cannon or large gun.
The external case or framework of something, like a building, vehicle, or electronic device.
A program that provides a text-based interface to the operating system.
Direct loanword used in IT contexts. Common among programmers.
A type of pasta shaped like a small shell.
Commonly used in Japanese to refer to shell-shaped pasta.
今夜はシェルパスタのサラダを作ろう。
Let's make a shell pasta salad tonight.
Italian name for shell pasta, sometimes used in gourmet contexts.
A person's reserved or withdrawn state, often described as coming out of one's shell.
To retreat into one's shell; to become withdrawn.
彼は失恋してから殻に閉じこもってしまった。
He retreated into his shell after the heartbreak.
殻 (から) is the general term for hard outer coverings of eggs, nuts, insects, etc. 貝殻 (かいがら) specifically means seashell or shellfish shell. 甲羅 (こうら) is for turtle or tortoise shells. Using the wrong one can sound unnatural.
卵の殻 / 貝殻 / 亀の甲羅
egg shell / sea shell / turtle shell
The loanword シェル is mainly used in computing or for pasta. For natural shells (eggs, sea creatures), use the appropriate Japanese word.
カタツムリが殻の中に引っ込んだ。
The snail retreated into its shell.
彼女は海岸で貝殻を集めた。
She collected shells along the shore.
砲弾が近くに着弾した。
The artillery shell landed nearby.
I picked up a beautiful shell on the beach.
The turtle pulled its head into its shell.
The insect's outer shell is made of chitin.
Standard term for an artillery shell or cannonball.
戦車が砲弾を発射した。
The tank fired a shell.
Bullet or projectile; can refer to small arms ammunition, but also used for shells in a broader sense.
空の薬莢が地面に落ちていた。
Empty shell casings were scattered on the ground.
High-explosive shell or grenade. More specific military term.
榴弾が塹壕の近くで爆発した。
A shell exploded near the trench.
Exterior covering or casing, used for buildings, appliances, etc.
スマートフォンの外装を交換した。
I replaced the shell of my smartphone.
Can be used metaphorically for the outer shell of a building or structure, especially when emphasizing emptiness.
火事の後、建物はただの殻になった。
After the fire, the building was just a shell.
Housing or chassis, often used for electronic devices or machinery.
パソコンの筐体を開けて掃除した。
I opened the computer shell to clean it.
シェルスクリプトを書いて自動化した。
I wrote a shell script to automate it.
Refers to the command-line interface itself, often used interchangeably with shell.
コマンドラインからプログラムを実行する。
Run the program from the shell.
コンキリエは貝殻の形をしている。
Conchiglie are shaped like shells.
To break out of one's shell; to overcome shyness or limitations.
留学して彼女は自分の殻を破った。
Studying abroad helped her come out of her shell.
I picked up shells at the beach.
I picked up shells at the beach.