1.
recording device; (audio) recorder; tape recorder
A device for making audio recordings. Historically referred to tape and reel-to-reel machines; today the word is still used generically for audio recorders, though in casual conversation about handheld digital recorders speakers usually say ボイスレコーダー or ICレコーダー instead.
Composed of 録音 (sound recording) and the suffix -機 (machine, device). The native Sino-Japanese term for a sound-recording device, contrasting with the katakana loanword レコーダー.
Usage
In writing and more formal contexts, 録音機 is often preferred, particularly when discussing audio recording in general terms or historical equipment. In everyday spoken Japanese, the more specific loanwords ボイスレコーダー or ICレコーダー are more common when referring to modern handheld digital recorders. 録音機 can sound slightly old-fashioned when used for very current consumer devices.
Common collocations
- 録音機を使う: to use a recorder
- 録音機を作動させる: to operate / run a recorder
- 録音機で録音する: to make a recording on a recorder
- 小型の録音機: a small / compact recorder
- 携帯録音機: a portable recorder
Similar words
- レコーダー: recorder — the katakana loanword; covers both audio and video recorders, and is the more common everyday term for modern devices
- ボイスレコーダー: voice recorder — a handheld audio recorder for speech (interviews, notes)
- ICレコーダー: IC recorder; digital voice recorder — the solid-state successor to cassette voice recorders; often overlaps with ボイスレコーダー
- テープレコーダー: tape recorder — specifically a cassette tape recorder
- 録画機: video recorder — parallel formation with 画 (image) instead of 音 (sound)