1.
telephone receiver; handset
The part of a telephone that you hold to your ear and speak into. By extension, also used for the handset of a landline phone as a whole. Composed of 受 (receive) + 話 (speech) + 器 (device).
受話器を取ってください。
Please pick up the receiver.
彼女は受話器を置いて深い溜め息をついた。
She hung up the receiver and let out a deep sigh.
受話器の向こうから怒鳴り声が聞こえてきた。
I could hear a shouting voice coming from the other end of the receiver.
USAGE:
受話器 typically refers to landline phone handsets. With mobile phones, the term is less common, though it may appear in figurative or literary contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 受話器を取る (pick up the receiver)
- 受話器を置く (hang up the receiver)
- 受話器を握る (grip the receiver)
- 受話器を耳に当てる (hold the receiver to one's ear)
SIMILAR WORDS:
送話器 is the mouthpiece/transmitter (the part you speak into), while 受話器 originally meant the earpiece but now generally refers to the entire handset.